Past and Future
by Kelekona8
Summary: Rick's sister and her daughter go along on the first Mummy. Along the way she is faced with her past, and choices, ones she has made and ones she has yet to make. Updated 22JUN!
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a story that came into being after several different versions ran through my head before finally forming into what it finally has become.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Much to my dismay…

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"Mummy, where are we going?" The small girl asking the question was looking up at her mother; holding her hand.

"We are going to try to get your uncle out of prison...again." From the tone of the woman's voice it was obvious that this was a rather frequent occurrence.

"Oh," the little girl said, still looking at her mother. "What did he do?"

Her mother sighed. "I have no idea. All I know is what Izzy told me and the only useful thing he said was that your _brilliant_ uncle was here."

The child nodded; she stared out in front of her but didn't really seem to see their surroundings.

People turned to look at the pair as they walked by, not all that surprising really because each was striking in their own way. The woman was obviously an foreigner, not surprising in Cairo really, but she had red hair, not bright red like a flame but darker more like slowly cooling embers, an unusual color for the area; her eyes were of an impossible shade of blue; and freckles, a testimony to much time spent in the sun, were spread across her face. The girl was a beautiful child with long, curly, black hair and the darker skin of Egyptian natives, but she had her mother's eyes and many of her features, which erased any doubt of their relationship that there might be; it was easy to tell, even though she was but five years old, that she would be a beauty when she grew up.

They came to the entrance of Cairo prison and informed the guard of their purpose there; he left and came back with the warden. The disgusting little man eyed her in a way that made the woman want to strike him, _very_ hard. "What is your interest in this man?"

"He is my brother and I have come to see him and to bail him out."

The warden looked her up and down, with more curiosity this time. "You know, your brother is rather popular today."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well there are some other people interested in seeing him today."

"Who?"

Before the warden could answer a couple came up to them. "Excuse me," the man began, a tad nervously, "but we're here to see a uh...Rick O'Connell?"

The woman turned to look at him. "What do you want with my brother?" She got a good look at the both of them; the man looked a somewhat shifty character; he rather reminded her of Rick's friend and oft accomplice Izzy, not a bad person, but generally not the most trustworthy. The woman looked rather prim and proper, somewhat timid - no, that was not the right word, more like...self conscious or not very self confident - and completely out of place in Cairo Prison.

"Well - uh - we uh -" the man stammered.

His sister sighed and spoke up. "We found something that belongs to him that we wanted to ask him about."

"His strange puzzle box."

The siblings started at her statement.

"How - how -" it was the sister's turn to stammer apparently.

"It's about the only thing that he has that could be of interest to anybody." She looked them straight in the eye; Evy found herself liking this woman who was so straight forward and honest.

"I'm Evelyn Carnahan and this is my brother Jonathan."

The other woman seemed to assess her for a moment before accepting Evy's offered hand and shaking it. "Deirdre O'Connell." She looked down at the little girl beside her. "And this is my daughter, Hadiyya. Hadiyya say hello to Miss and Mr. Carnahan."

The small child smiled at them. "It is nice to meet you."

Deirdre watched the siblings' reaction to the fact that she carried her maiden name, appeared quite single; yet had a child. Mr. Carnahan smiled slightly awkwardly at the little girl, his eyes drifting between mother and daughter a few times, seeming not to know what to make of them. His sister either missed the implications or was more tactful than her brother - Deirdre put her money of the latter because while the woman seemed rather naive she also struck Deirdre as having a sharp mind - she just crouched carefully down to the child's level, smiling at her and taking her proffered hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Hadiyya."

Out of the corner of her eye Deirdre had seen the warden getting rather impatient with them; she waited a moment longer before she finally said, "Well, shall we go see what my dearly demented brother has to say for himself?"

Evelyn smiled and nodded. Jonathan wasn't sure why but for some reason seeing the two of them hitting it off so well so quickly scared the hell out of him.

The warden seemed pleased that they had finally decided to get to what they were there for. "Come, come! Step over the threshold. Welcome to Cairo Prison, my humble home."

Deirdre heard Miss Carnahan castigating her brother behind her, something to do with the fact that he lied about where he had gotten the box.

'Yep,' she thought dryly, 'definitely a shady sort.' When she heard the brother say that he had picked Rick's pocket while he was drunk all she could think was, 'Ohhhh, if Rick recognizes him...'

Deirdre kept a firm hand on her daughter, not having to look at her to know she was looking around with great curiosity. "What exactly did my brother do?"

"You don't know?"

Deirdre looked at Jonathan, who was nudged in the ribs with his sister's elbow. "No," she said flatly, thinking of Izzy and his lack of information on that point.

The warden spoke up again to bring attention back to himself. "I did not know this, but when I heard that you were coming I asked him that myself."

"And what did he say?" Evy asked.

They had reached a caged in area; the warden leaned against the bars. "He said he was 'just looking for a good time.'"

Deirdre groaned.

Two guards dragged, none too gently, a man with long scraggly hair and a face which hadn't been shaved in a good while, who was doing his best to fight back even with his hands chained together, into the caged area; they punched him in the back as they forced him to his knees behind the bars.

"This is the man that you stole it from?" Evy asked, none too quietly.

"Yes, exactly," her brother said nervously, trying to shield his face somewhat from the imprisoned man's sight. "So why don't we just go sniff out a spot of tiffin -"

Rick meanwhile smiled wryly at his sister. "Hey, Dre."

Deirdre made a disgusted sound rolling her eyes skyward before once again glaring at her wayward brother.

Rick looked at his niece. "Heya, Hadie. Bein' good for your mom?"

"One of us has to be, Unca Rick."

Rick felt a touch of amusement at this but also a wrench of guilt, he knew how much trouble and pain he cause his sister and he hated himself for it. The muscle in his jaw worked a few times before his attention was caught by the Carnahan siblings; he looked at the brother. "Who are you?" The pair turned to him; he turned to the sister. "And who's the broad?"

"'Broad'?" Evy asked.

"Rick!" Deirdre snapped at the same time.

Hadiyya stifled a giggle at her mother's scolding.

Jonathan stumbled through an excuse about being a "local sort of missionary chap," to which Deirdre had to choke back a laugh. "But this is my sister, Evy." He pulled his sister forward."

"How do you do?" she asked formally.

"Oh, well. Guess she's not a total loss."

"Rick!" Deirdre said exasperatedly and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I beg your pardon." Evy looked scandalized.

Someone from elsewhere in the prison yard called to the warden who shouted back before saying to them, "I'll be back in a moment."

"Ask him about the box," Jonathan whispered to his sister.

"Um, we have found -" she began before noticing that Rick's attention had followed the warden. "Uh, hello. Excuse me." Rick turned back to them, looking at them with a rather bored expression. "We both found your puzzle box and we've come to ask you about it."

Rick looked at them for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "No."

The pair looked confused. "No..."

He shook his head again. "No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

They were both obviously shocked and Jonathan looked around to see if anyone else had heard, shushing Rick.

"H-How do you know the box pertains to Hamunaptra?"

"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there," he said in what Deirdre called his "No, duh, stupid" voice.

Jonathan approached the cage rather close, seeming, for the first time since they had arrived, not nervous. "But how do we know that's not a load of pig's wallow?"

Deirdre saw a look enter Rick's eyes, one that meant that something was familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it; she just began a mental countdown for "it" to come.

"You, know." Rick pointed at the other man. "Do I know you?"

Jonathan instantly became once again became nervous. "No, no, no. I've just got one of those face."

'Here it comes,' Deirdre thought as she saw the recognition flood her brother's face. And indeed a second later her brother had punched the other man in the face. Of course immediately thereafter one of the guards punched him in the back.

"Rick." This time his name was said with reproach, but there was so much humor that she was trying to conceal bleeding into her tone that it wasn't all that convincing.

Evy stepped over her brother, knowing he well deserved what he got. "You were actually at Hamunaptra?"

Rick looked up at her and a grin spread across his face. "Yeah, I was there."

"You swear?" she asked suspiciously.

"Every damn day."

"Rick!" he heard his sister basically screech as she tried to cover her daughter's ears.

"Don't worry, Mummy, I've heard Unca Rick say worse."

Rick was rather glad for the fact that Evy didn't give his sister a chance to do more than send him a death glare. He made a mental note to himself, if given the chance, to explain to his niece about keeping secrets.

"No, I didn't mean that -"

"I know what you meant," he interrupted her, becoming serious. "I was there. Seti's place. City of the Dead." He waved his hands in a hokey gesture.

Evy's hopes rocketed through the roof; she was so excited that she was stammering as she asked him if he could tell her how to get there.

Rick gave her a look like she was crazy.

They heard a commotion behind her in the courtyard; she took off her hat and used it to shield one side of her face. "I mean the exact location."

"You want to know?"

"W-Well, yes." She moved closer.

"Do you really want to know?"

She moved still closer. "Yes." When he beckoned her even closer with his finger she moved even closer.

Deirdre supposed she should would have been shocked and scandalized, had she been a proper lady, but that was something she had definitely never been accused of being, when her brother reached out and grabbed the other woman's chin and pulled her in for a kiss, all Deirdre was groan and cover her eyes with a hand.

"Then get me the hell out of here!" he said once he had pulled away. The guards began beating him, with him fighting back as they dragged him off. "Do it, lady!"

Something in her brother's voice had Deirdre's head snapping up. Something was wrong. The tone of his voice paired with the fact that he had told this woman to help him get out rather than his sister told her that something was _very_ wrong. She rushed up to the bars as they dragged him away, shouting out for them to "wait", but her pleas were unheard. Deirdre barely recognized that the warden had returned as she stared at the door through which her brother had disappeared, a feeling of dread growing in her stomach.

"Where are they taking him?" Evy still was somewhat shocked but needed to know what was going on.

"To be hanged." Deirdre nearly gave herself whiplash as she spun toward the warden, all color draining from her face and her lunch about to make a reappearance. "Apparently he had a _very_ good time." Were it not for the fact that her brother, her only family save Hadiyya, was about to be executed, she might have found some humor in the warden's words.

Now she knew why her brother hadn't bothered to address her when it came to getting him out, because he knew that all she had to her name was 50 pounds, no where near enough to get him out of trouble of this magnitude. Her legs gave out; Mr. Carnahan, surprisingly, caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Mummy?"

Deirdre had to take several breaths before she could look her worried and frightened daughter in the face. Seeing her child so scared gave her strength; she got her feet under her and steadied herself before turning to Mr. Carnahan. "Thank you. Could you please watch my daughter for a bit and make sure she doesn't...see anything." She supposed that she was rather crazy to let this man, whom she knew was on the shady side, look after her daughter, but something told her that he could be trusted with this.

There was compassion in the man's eyes and he nodded before he moved over to the little girl's side and began talking to her and showing her something with a deck of cards he pulled from his inside coat pocket.

Deirdre quickly caught up to Miss Carnahan and the warden. She knew that her brother's only hope was this woman and she prayed that she would succeed in freeing her brother.

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Yes this portion really follows the movie quite a bit, but I hope I added in enough of my own stuff to make it interesting. A good portion of this will have movie dialogue and such in it, but there will also be a lot of my own making. I already have basically all of this story planned out along with a bunch of ideas other stories to go along with it, prequels and sequels, how many I actually get out will be seen.

Let me know what you think, praise and constructive criticism are treasured as both make me a better writer. Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

(Walks in; then sees all the reviews. Jaw drops open, staggers backward and falls back on butt in shock.) I did not know that so many people would like this!! O.O Thank you soooooooo... much! I had several bouts of writer's block on this chapter, which is a major reason it has taken me so long getting this out. Everytime I would think I had something and it just ended up coming out wrong; I am still not entirely happy with some parts of this. I have been close to giving up, but your reviews really encouraged me to keep going and finally finish. So this chapter is dedicated to you all. THANK YOU!! :) And here it finally is!!

AN: Dialogue between means Arabic is being spoken.

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Listening to the hundreds of pounds that Evy Carnahan was willing to pay, up to 10 times what Deirdre herself had, had had the young mother's head spinning, and her praying that the warden would agree to some amount, but she could never have faulted the other woman for refusing the lecherous man's advances; Deirdre did not think she could have tolerated it either, even for her brother and she knew that Rick would have never forgiven himself.

Deirdre's heart jumped to her throat as the order was given for her brother to hang; she screamed his name. When the warden said that his neck had not broken and that her brother would strangle to death, she didn't know whether to be grateful for the time bought or horrified at the prolonged death her brother was being subjected to. When the warden and Miss Carnahan had started rapidly bargaining for his life Deirdre wanted to scream that her brother was about to die; that they were haggling over the worth of a human being's life. However some distant part of her mind could not help being amused at the warden's mistake.

She had not even been aware that she had not breathed during basically the entire exchange until she finally took a breath when her brother was cut down and as she took that breath she was suddenly very light headed and if she had not been sitting down she probably would have fallen down.

She focused and got the world to stop spinning enough that she was able to head down with Miss Carnahan to see her brother. She had thrown herself into her elder brother's arms hugged him tightly; then she had pulled away and began hitting him anywhere she could reach.

"Damn you to hell, Richard Liam O'Connell!" she screeched out through clenched teeth.

Rick was attempting to block her blows. "Hey, hey, hey! I just almost died!"

"I don't care!" She continued to pound him with her fists, though it was hardly all that effective considering how much smaller she was than her brother.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat which caused Deirdre to finally halt her assault on her brother and turn to the woman who was with them; she acted as though pounding on her brother in an attempt to reduce him to a bloody pulp was an everyday occurrence.

"So, Mr. O'Connell," the young librarian started, eyes flicking back and forth between the pair before resting on Rick, "we are leaving from the docks tomorrow at 11 o'clock, can we count on you being there?"

"I keep my promises, lady."

Evy's eyes flicked over to the other woman, thinking about her rather violent bout moments before.

Deirdre gave her a wry smile. "He'll be there," she confirmed.

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"This is insane, Dre!"

Deirdre ignored her brother; she just continued to pack hers and Hadiyya's bags, her lips were pressed together forming a thin line.

Rick let out a frustrated growl. "Deirdre, you can't come with me and you certainly can't bring Hadiyya. It is too dangerous." Rick never actually got to say that last sentence; Deirdre interrupted him, her voice sharp.

She slammed the book in her hands down on the table in front of her. "I am a grown woman, Richard; I will decide what my daughter and I will and won't do."

"It is too dangerous, Deirdre; I can't let you risk your life or Hadiyya's - "

"_Let_?" Deirdre said sharply, snapping around to look at him. "I thought we just covered that fact that I am a grown woman who can make her own decisions, and I can certainly protect my own child!"

"Deirdre you're being unreasonable! Stop being so stubborn!"

"Stubborn? Stubborn!? _You_ are calling _me_ stubborn, you obstinate arse?!"

"Obstinate - "

"You don't tell me what you are doing or where you are going, thus making me worry; you say it is to protect Hadiyya and I, but then I get a call from Izzy and among his ranting about flying his plane, a heist, getting shot in the ass - something he was complaining about quite heartily - and something about you and a belly dancer - I won't even touch that - I find out that you have once again gotten yourself arrested, and even more interesting that it had nothing to do with - " she broke off suddenly; gripping her forehead and letting out a sound that was a mix of a gasp and a groan.

Rick was instantly by her side, gently grasping her shoulder; worry etched on his face. "Deirdre, what is it?"

She sank into a chair next to the table, pressing her finger tips against her eyes. "Nothing, it's just a headache."

Rick frowned. "You haven't been wearing you glasses."

Deirdre gave a sigh; she intended for it to hold annoyance but she was too tired and it came out sounding nothing more than weary. "There really isn't much point since my glasses no longer really work for me." She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger.

Rick went over to the kitchen. "Why haven't you gotten new ones?" He took a cloth and dipped it into the still warm water left over from when Deirdre made tea.

"I don't have the money right now, Rick," She said with exagerated patience. "Besides, I can more or less see well enough to get by and I don't get headaches that often."

Rick returned to her side and gently guided her so that she lay her head on the table and he place the warm compress on the back of her neck. He sighed, knowing how hard it was for Deirdre to find any honest work in Cairo, being a woman and a single, unwed mother. He felt rather guilty that he had not been able to really hold a steady, honest job. The one time in his life he had ever really tried to go the straight and narrow had ended with him dragging his sorry ass back to her and then leaving his commission and bringing them all back to Cairo and back to the more shady life he knew. Which brought him back to their original argument; he decided to try a different approach. "There is something out there, something evil. And I don't want it touching you or Hadiyya."

Deirdre was silent for a moment. "I very nearly lost you today, Rick;" her words were tear-laden, "I couldn't handle it if I had. You and Hadiyya are all I have and loosing either of you is unbearable for me. And that is why we have to go with you."

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It was just after dinner their first night on the boat; their small party had dined together before parting to go about their evening business. Evy had honestly been surprised to see Deidre and her daughter, but from what she had seen of the young mother and how she felt about her brother she supposed it was not that surprising.

She continued down the walkway along side where the cabins were, searching for an at least relatively quite place to sit and read. A soft, soothing voice floated toward her; she found herself following it. She came to a stop outside a partially open door to one of the smaller cabins; she peered inside.

Deirdre was sitting on one of the beds, her daughter in her lap; she was singing to her and rocking her in her arms; Hadiyya's eyes had drooped almost to the point of closing. Evy found herself listening curiously to the song, for she had never heard it before and the language was strange, it seemed to be some sort of mix between ancient Egyptian and Arabic.

Evy suddenly realized that Deidre's eyes were no longer on Hadiyya, but were looking straight at her, though if she was surprised to see Evy there she gave no sign of it; she did not even pause in her singing. Evy blushed sheepishly at being caught watching the tender, private moment between mother and daughter; she hurried off.

Eventually she settled in a chair, one of four around a table; soon she was lost in her book.

"Excuse me."

She looked up to see Deidre standing in front of her.

"May I sit here with you?" She nodded to the chair next to Evy.

"Of course." Evy scooted her chair over to give the red haired woman more room.

Deirdre sat down; she slid on a pair of slightly bent glasses, and opened the book in her hands.

They sat in silence for a time, but Evy felt the need to say something about what had passed only shortly before.

Finally she just burst out with it. "I am sorry for intruding. I wasn't trying to spy."

Deirdre looked up, humor in her eyes. "It is fine."

Evy bit her lip. "May I ask where you learned that song? I have never heard it before."

Deirdre fiddled gently with her book. "Someone very..." she appeared to be searching for a word to use, "dear to me," she finally settled on, "taught it to me."

Evy leaned forward eagerly. "I have never heard that language before. Do you know it well?"

The redhead shifted slightly. "I was only just beginning to learn it when my lessons had to end." She looked up at Evy. "I really would rather not speak about it any more."

Evy was taken aback by the look in her eyes; there was pain which she tried to hide, but was still visible. "Of course, but is it all right if I ask one more question?"

Deidre's lips quirked and mischief sparkled in her eyes behind the lenses. "You just did, but you may ask another."

Evy gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, I was wondering, why it is that your brother has an obviously American accent, but yours is British?"

Deirdre smiled warmly, letting Evy know she had not touched on a painful subject for her. "Well, technically speaking, Rick and I are only half-siblings. We have the same father but different mothers. Our father a young woman named Kathrine; a couple of years later they had Rick. Not long after he was born Kathrine contracted tuberculosis and unfortunately she died. My mother, Charlotte, who was the daughter of British nobility, had rebelled against her parents and come to America. She and our father met, fell in love, married, and had me. Mum didn't diferentiate between Rick and I, we were her children; it didn't matter that he wasn't hers by blood. So we were raised thinking of each other as full siblings. When we were older Dad was offered an oportunity to work at a dig here in Egypt and so we moved here. A few years later Dad died in a cave-in at one of the excavation sites. It was three months later when Mum fell very ill; she was actually able get well again, but while she was still recovering she once again became ill and she just didn't have the strength to fight it off. She's burried next to Dad at the church in Cairo. Rick and I were sent to the orphanage in Cairo; we stayed there for a year; then my mother's parents found out about Mum's death and they came, but only for me. They refused to take Rick. They dragged me to England kicking and screaming - and I mean that quite litterally. And there I lived with them until I was of age when I came back here and found my brother."

"And..uh...what about Hadiyya's father?"

Deirdre became quiet.

"I'm sorry, I'm being nosey. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Evy said quickly.

"He-I-" she stumbled over her words, something she was not prone to. She took a deep breath. "We met in England...He was the first man I had ever met that I felt anything for." She bit her lip. "We had an affair..." She turned her head away swiftly, but Evy could make out a tear falling down her cheek before it was swiped away. "I - I'd really rather not talk about him right now."

"Of course!" Evy said immediately, wanting to kick herself for asking so many questions. She chewed on her lip trying to think of something to say. "It must be hard having to care for a young child on your own."

A smile came across the other woman's face. "She can be a handfull at times, no doubt, but," she turned and looked at Evy, "I would not trade it for the world." She looked out on the water. "She is my world. Even before she was born I loved her so much, and I have always known that I would do anything for her." A feircely protective look came over her face and she looked back at Evy. "_Anything._"

There was silence.

THUMP!

Both women jumped and cried out slightly; then whipped around to find the cause of the noise.

Rick, glancing down and realizing that he had startled them, apologized, rather insincerely - getting too much of a laugh out of it - which earned him a glare from his sister.

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Deirdre was lying in her bed, caught up in the romance between Jane Austin's Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth for probably the thousandth time, when she heard a sound outside her cabin.

She rose from bed, checking on Hadiyya, finding that her daughter was still sleeping soundly. She pulled on her robe, dropped her book and glasses in the pocket, and slipped out the door.

It was quiet. The moon reflected mysteriously off the Nile as they drifted through the waters.

Deirdre padded toward the bow of the boat on silent, bare feet. She hugged herself as she came to stand at the railing. Her eyes moved searchingly, but the night refused to give up its secrets. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

_"That voice, that feeling, that tells you something is not right...listen to it. It will save your life."_

The words floated to her from the - seemingly - long ago past, the voice moving through her. Her heart rate had increased slowly ever since she heard the noise; with the memory it suddenly belted into full speed. Everything in her was screaming for her to run.

A hand clamped over her mouth and a blade was at her throat.

Reacting with the speed granted to her from her already racing blood, Deirdre slammed her elbow back into her captor's gut, taking him off guard since he had not expected her to react so quickly; his hold loosened and Deirdre jerked away. She spun around and, not even thinking punched him in the face, barely registering the fact that the face she slammed her fist into was mostly covered by black cloth. Finally she gave into her original instict. She ran.

Chaos seemed to have broken out on the boat in the time it had taken her to incapacitate her attacker, gun fire and actual fire were raging around her as she ran to her cabin.

The door was open. Deirdre felt her stomach drop and dread curl around her heart as she burst through the door calling her daughter's name. Hadiyya's bed was empty.

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Hadiyya had woken up when her mother had left the room; she had gotten up to follow her. However once she was outside, she had already lost sight of her and begun to wander the boat looking for her, dragging her doll behind her.

There was a noise around the corner.

"Mummy?" She timidly peeked around it.

Two tall figures in black turned to see her.

Hadiyya screamed.

She backed away from them, tripping over the hem of her nightgown before scrambling back to her feet and running as fast as her five year old legs could carry her, not noticing that she had dropped her beloved toy.

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"Hadiyya!" Deirdre screamed at the top of her lugs, running inbetween the panicked or fighting people, her entire being focused on finding her daughter.

Everything was a blur around her with her panic. Tears were just behind her eyes, held in check only by the fact that they would make looking for her daughter more dificult. Sobs were lodged in her chest.

"Mummy!"

Deirdre whipped in the direction of the cry.

Hadiyya was cornered against the railing by two of the men, one closer to her than the other.

Deirdre saw the leg of a table, which had been broken off when the table was smashed, probably under the weight of a body being thrown on it. She snatched it up as she ran toward her daughter and the men.

She swung her makeshift weapon with all her strength at the closer man's head; he fell to the deck. She did not know if he was still conscious or not, and she did not really care as she swung the club at the other man. His scimitar came up and cut into it as he blocked her blow. She released her grip on the piece of wood and quickly snatched up the other man's - who aparently was at least unconscious - scimitar, bringing it up in a defensive position. Her opponent's eyes showed surprise.

Hadiyya bolted forward. "Mummy!"

The man attempted to reach for her, but was disuaded by Deirdre swinging the scimitar at him; he brought his up to block her blow, the blades clanging together momentarily before disengaging again.

Hadiyya by this time had her mother's robe in a deathgrip.

Deirdre kept her blade pointed at her opponent as she slowly backed away. "Stay away from my daughter." Her voice was firm and deadly. She repeated the sentence in Arabic for extra measure.

He seemed to size her up before saying in thickly accented English, "If you truly value your daughter than you would abandon this quest." He lowered his blade.

Deirdre stared at him for a few moments longer before she spun around, dropping the scimitar and taking Hadiyya in her arms, and running.

She found her brother tossing Evy over the side of the boat; he turned to her at the sound of her footsteps. "Am I gonna have to throw you over too?"

Deirdre tossed him a glare before climbing up on the rail. "Hold your breath sweetie," she told her daughter before she allowed herself to drop down the side into the water, keeping an arm tight around Hadiyya, who clung to her neck.

Deirdre got their heads above water as quickly as possible, though Hadiyya still coughed and gagged from being submerged. Deirdre got herself on her back, so that Hadiyya rested on her chest, and began kicking and pulling herself with one arm through the water until it got too shallow and she stood up and walked the rest of the way to the shore, where she basically collapsed from exhaustion.

"Hey, O'Connell!"

Deirdre's head snapped up at the far too familiar voice.

There stood Beni Gabori on the other bank, drawing a groan from Deirdre.

"Looks like I've got all the horses!"

Her brother, who was just about at the shore, took a step closer to his ex-friend. "Hey, Beni, looks like you're on the wrong side of the ri-ver!"

Deirdre smirked, for once wholly agreeing with and enjoying her brother's taunting. However, the humor in the situation was dimmed slightly when Evy pointed out that they had lost everything.

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The sun was just about to break the horizon; Ardeth Bey stood watching it as he did every morning.

"Ardeth."

"What is the news?" Ardeth asked, not looking away from the eminent sunrise.

A man, a few years younger than himself, came to stand beside him. "We lost five." He paused. "And they were unable to get the map or the key."

Ardeth sighed, somehow conveying dread, pain and weariness in that one action.

His companion could just see the weight that the other man carried on his shoulders increase. "Why they are so foolishly determined, brother?"

Ardeth shook his head. "I shall never understan, Ehsan."

Ehsan looked down at his hand; then lifted it up to present his brother with what he had been holding.

Ardeth finally looked away from the horizon to see what his brother was handing him. It was a doll. "Why do you have this?" His brow was furrowed as he took it from his brother.

"Faris brought it back with him. He said that there was a child onboard, who had dropped it when he and Haytham went after her. Aparently her mother is part of one of the parties going after Hamunaptra. Faris said that she knocked out Haytham before attempting to take on himself in order to protect her daughter."

Ardeth frowned thoughtfully.

Ehsan looked at his brother, waiting for what he had to say, but he seemed content to say nothing, so he voiced the question burning in his mind. "Who would bring their child on such a dangerous journey?"

Ardeth looked back up as the sun rose from the horizon. "Someone who cares little for their child's safety...or someone who has no other choice."

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Ha ha!! I have finally finished it! :D I am already working on the next part and I think I will have it up soon... (gets disbelieving looks) I PROMISE! Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think! And if I made mistakes whether they be about the movie, gramatic - I am spell check-less and Orangoo was flaking on me when I tried to use it for this chapter - or otherwise, _please_ let me know. Thank you so much! :)


	3. Chapter 3

I am so very sorry that it took this long to update this story! I promise I did not forget about it but my job keeps me very busy and I just had a hard time with this chapter. I do not know if anyone is going to continue to read this and you all have the right to be annoyed with me, but I want you to know that I am still working on this story and love it. Thank you so much for all the reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am going to start working on the next chapter; it is one that actually helped give birth to this story idea in the first place.

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Their small ragged group wandered a short distance before they were met by Bedouins who had seen the fire and come to investigate. They had then been lead to the trading post where the people had eagerly begun to offer to sell them supplies.

When Evy, Deirdre and Hadiyya were lead off by the women Rick began to protest but the warden explained that they were being taken to get new clothing, since they were all in their night clothes. Rick relaxed somewhat until he noticed the interest with which the warden was watching the direction the women were going.

Rick got his face right in the warden's. "Don't even _think_ about it," he snarled, causing the other man to blanch.

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Deirdre and Evy found themselves inundated with dresses, scarves and veils. At first the women asked their opinion but ended up just discussing amongst themselves what they thought the visitors should wear while a few of them took the three females to a back area to be cleaned up.

A few women entered the area and began to help the weary travelers, bringing basins of sweet smelling water for them to clean themselves up with. Deirdre started to protest that she could not afford such a luxury, but with a word from Evy to the women, found herself being ignored. Deirdre, deciding that it was best to just go along, insisted on first bathing her daughter, knowing that she was going to end up wet again for it. Hadiyya giggled and splashed the water, while her mother used the provided cloth to wash her clean. Once she was finished a woman handed her a dry cloth which Deirdre used to wrap Hadiyya in; she then sat her daughter on a mat on the floor, telling her to stay put for the moment. When the woman, seemingly assigned to her and Hadiyya, approached her she sighed, took her book and glasses out of her pocket, and began to remove her filthy, and once again wet, garments, which the woman took and then left her to clean herself up with the fresh basin of water and cloths that the woman had left. Deirdre had to admit to herself that the water felt amazing, and she decided to enjoy this while she could since once they headed out what water they brought with them would be used only for drinking. She wrung out her soaking hair; then wrapped herself in a drying cloth. The woman returned with new clothes for mother and daughter; Deirdre accepted them, thanking her in Arabic. The woman responded; then went perfectly still. Deirdre frowned in confusion, glancing down at her chest, where the woman's gaze was stuck. Hanging there by a long silver chain around her neck was a silver pendant; on it were several markings. Deirdre looked back up at the woman in front of her, who was now staring at her face, with a look of shock. The look quickly vanished; then the woman bowed deeply to her; she straightened back up, a look of surprise and respect now on her face; then she then hurried away. Deidre watched her then looked back down at the pendent.

"_What is it?"_

"_Promise me you will never take it off."_

"_It's beautiful."_

"_It will protect you."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Promise."_

"_Why?"_

"…_never take it off."_

"_I love it."_

"…_protect you."_

"_I promise."_

"_What is it?"_

The memories echoed through her mind as she stared at it. 'Maybe I should have asked a different question,' she thought.

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Once they were dressed and ready Deirdre, Evy and Hadiyya were lead out of the tent and back toward the male members of their group.

They had ended up choosing for Evy a black dress, and sheer black scarf and veil; they were all decorated with silver and colorful beads. The outfit ended up enhancing the half-Egyptian woman's exotic beauty, giving her a look of mystique and made her look a great deal less stuffy.

Deirdre they put in a dark blue dress, the color complimented her eyes beautifully, there was some beadwork around the neckline and hem; she had requested a head scarf of the same material as the dress, rather than a sheer one like Evy's, which was also decorated with beads; she had decided to forego the veil across her face.

Hadiyya wore a small deep violet dress, the color darker than what Deirdre usually dressed her in, but with the design of the dress it still managed to look childish and the five year old looked absolutely adorable; it was beaded in a similar style to her mother's.

The look on Rick's face when he saw Evy had Deirdre struggling to conceal her amusement but at the same time it brought forth a bubble of hope. Hope that this woman who her brother was obviously falling for, might be able to do what Deirdre had tried for years but had never succeed in, get him to go honest and to settle down somewhat.

Rick and Jonathan had managed to purchase five camels for them to ride, though Jonathan complained loudly about the price he had had to pay and the camels themselves.

Deirdre rode with Hadiyya cradled carefully in her lap; it was a slightly precarious position, particularly with the swaying motion of the camel, but after a while they adjusted and were able to sit relatively comfortably as they were. Deirdre kept her head covered with the scarf, allowing it to shade her face as much as possible from the sun's relentless rays and when the wind picked up and was blowing sand in their faces she wrapped a portion of it over her face and used the other end to shield Hadiyya's.

At one point the warden began to sing – such as it was – and the group carried out sporadic conversations throughout the day. Evy spoke of the Med-jai, a "cult" as she called them, who were said to protect the City of the Dead; she stated that she believed the men who attacked them on the boat were Med-jai, attempting to stop them from reaching Hamunaptra.

Rick finally called them to a halt to set up camp, telling them that they would be rising at around one a.m. to continue riding at night. Hadiyya was in tears, having realized she had lost her beloved doll, Kahlilah, and Deirdre was rocking her and singing softly, trying to calm her. They all settled in to sleep; eventually Evy came over and asked to "cuddle", so as to keep warm. Rick spent about an hour thinking about kissing her before he began to drift off. Just before sleep claimed him he caught a glimpse of his sister who was lying across the fire from him, holding Hadiyya in her arms. Hadiyya had long ago cried herself to sleep but Deirdre was nowhere near to the land of dreams; she lay there staring into the fire silently; all the while seeming to see nothing.

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When they got up and broke camp it was dark and the moon and stars shone down on them brightly. Deirdre did not even bother to wake Hadiyya up and just let her continue to sleep in her lap. They rode on in the darkness.

All too soon the warden's hacksaw snores once again interrupted the silence of the desert. Jonathan hit him with his crop from time to time to stop the snoring for a while. Evy, who was riding next to Rick, had fallen asleep herself and when she began to lean too far in one direction or the other he would reach over and gently pull or push her back center. Deirdre was riding on Rick's other side and just a little behind, wide awake; when Hadiyya would occasionally begin to stir awake she would softly croon a lullaby which would then sooth the child back to sleep.

There was a distant sound of whinnying and the O'Connell siblings looked toward the sound. Up on a ridge there stood a line of five men mounted on horses, seemingly watching their small group. Rick's eyes narrowed; Deirdre's arms subconsciously pulled her daughter closer and tighter.

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It was their first night in Hamunaptra; after the long ride and eventful day Deirdre was exhausted and they were all still in shock over the death of the warden. Her brother and the Carnahan siblings were sitting together talking about the misfortunes of not only our group but that of the Americans.

Deirdre stirred the fire one last time before laying down next to her already slumbering daughter and wrapping her arms around her. She closed her eyes in an attempt to sleep; she had not been able to since the day they left Cairo, though even before that she had not had a truly restful night in several years.

There were faint shouts and the sound of horses approaching.

She opened her eyes and lifted her head curiously in time to see her brother get up and tell the to stay put, which, of course, for Evy meant she had to go as well. Deirdre stood from her sleeping spot and watched her brother's departure frowning slightly.

"Mummy." She looked down to see Hadiyya sitting up and rubbing her eye sleepily. "What's going on?"

She opened her mouth to respond.

There were shouts and cries; the sound of gunfire and the clash of mettle on mettle.

Her eyes went wide, she snatched up her daughter and bolted for cover among the ruins.

Men on horses and dressed entirely in black stormed through the encampments.

Deirdre made sure that Hadiyya was behind her, pushed as far back into their cover as possible, and that they were both hidden as best as possible in the shadows. She tried to shield her daughter's innocent eyes from the violence without as much as possible.

She watched as her brother was able to knock one of the riders off his horse; the man rolled to his feet and immediately shot up, scimitar in hand; the covering over his face fell away as he did so.

Deirdre felt as if she had been slammed square in the chest, knocking all the air from her lungs and stopping her heart momentarily. It took her a few moments to remember that she needed to breath; it then took her three tries to actually draw air into her lungs.

The two men began to fight, ready to kill each other.

One thought echoed through her head: No.

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The tattooed man knocked the gun from Rick's hand with his scimitar. The American jumped back from the next deadly swing; then took a diving roll. As he was lighting the stick of dynamite in his hand with the camp fire, he heard a familiar, female voice cry out in Arabic. Once he was on his feet, dynamite in his hand, he turned his head in the direction of the voice. His sister stood at the top of some stairs; he was about to yell at her to get back to hiding when the man across from him called out in Arabic, bringing an end to his people's fighting. Rick turned to look at his opponent, but his dark eyes were turned away from him. He followed the desert warrior's gaze; his eyes landed on Deirdre who was looking back at the man pleadingly.

Her voice flowed out quietly, pleadingly in Arabic and Rick never wish more in his life that he had taken the time to really learn the language and not just the most rudimentary basics.

"Mummy?" All eyes flew to the small girl who appeared at his sister's side; looking up at her and clutching her skirt.

Deirdre's eyes snapped to her daughter, going wide. They went back to the man; then back to her daughter before she snatched Hadiyya up and held her close.

Rick was somewhat puzzled by his sister's posture; it was naturally protective, but, at the same time, it was as if she wanted to show the man her child.

His opponent's eyes were narrowed; looking back and forth between the faces of mother and daughter before looking back at Rick himself, noting the explosive he was holding. He finally spoke again; this time in English. "Enough. We will shed no more blood, but you must leave." His eyes bored into the American. "Leave this place or die." He turned as one of his men brought him a horse. "You have one day." He mounted the animal; casting one last glance at Deirdre and Hadiyya before they all rode off.

Rick watched them leave; removing the lit fuse and stuffing the stick into his belt. He then noticed Evy's form still lying on her back from when she had been knocked over by the gun's kickback and helped her up; gently checking her over for injury.

"See, that _proves_ it!" Daniels snarled out. "Old Seti's fortune's got to be under this sand! For them to protect it like this, you know there's treasure down there."

Deirdre beat Rick to correcting them. "Don't be absurd," she scoffed, lowering Hadiyya to her feet. "They are people of the desert. What use is gold to them?" She ran her hand absent mindedly over her daughter's head. "_Water_ is gold to them."

Daniels sneered. "What would _you_ know about it?"

She clenched her jaw, fury sparking in her eyes.

"She's right," Rick spoke up, before she could possibly lash out at one of them.

Burns came to stand next to Rick. "You know, maybe just at night, we could, uh, combine forces, hmm? Maybe you can even camp with us."

"I think we should do as they say and leave," Deirdre spoke up, holding her daughter close to her side.

They all looked at her incredulously.

"Are you nuts, lady?" Henderson asked.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, narrowing her eyes. "No, just taking their threat seriously…and also taking into consideration that it might not have been a threat but a warning for our own good."

There were scoffs, snorts and sounds of general annoyance and ridicule.

Her eyes narrowed fractionally further before she picked up Hadiyya, turned on heel and briskly returned to their campsite.

Rick watched his sister's wake, frowning before turning back to the other Americans. "We'll move camp to yours tomorrow."

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The scene during the fight with Deirdre, Rick, Ardeth and Hadiyya was also one of the first scenes that my mind came up with and helped create this story. If you are not too annoyed with me, please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I'm so glad that people are still enjoying this story! Sorry about the delay in getting this out. I had a bit of a bout with writer's block, but I finally got this done! I'm sorry about it being so short; hopefully the next chapter will be longer.

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"What the _hell_ was that, Dre?" Rick snapped at her. Evy watched the O'Connell siblings standing off to the side of the camp, arguing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Deirdre said casually.

"Don't give me that, _Margaret_," he said the name tauntingly, knowing how much his sister hated her first name, preferring her middle name.

Her eyes flashed. "Don't call me that!" she hissed.

There seemed to be a smug satisfaction under his anger when she reacted. "What the hell was that between you and that guy?"

Deirdre, who had leaned toward her brother in her anger, leaned back slightly and her expression became shuttered. "I couldn't know what you mean," she said neutrally.

Rick plowed forward. "You know him; he knows you. How?"

Her lips pressed into a dangerously thin line. "That's none of you business."

"'_None of my business'_?!" he all but shouted. "I _never_ ask about your past, I know _nothing_ about it – you never _tell_ me – and now that guy," he pointed over his shoulder in the vague direction of where the riders had gone, "shows up and stares at you and Hadi as if he is seeing a ghost. I could use some answers here…some truth – "

"_Truth_?!" Her voice was whip-like. "Oh, that's rich coming from _you_," she sneered. "You don't tell me _anything_, Richard; all under the guise that it's all for my own 'good' or 'safety'." She stepped forward so that she was toe to toe with her brother. "Stay out of my business." She spun around, stopped to check on Hadiyya and grab her head scarf; then, after casting one last glare at her brother, stalked off.

Rick stormed over to where Evy was sitting, sat down snatching up the bottle of spirits and took a deep swig. After he lowered the bottle from his lips he looked over at Evy; then held it out to her. "Care for a drink?"

She stared at him for a moment, but accepted it and took a swallow; a too large one apparently because she began to cough and choke.

"Yeah," he nodded, taking the bottle back, "me too." He took another drink.

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Deirdre draped the scarf over her head and wrapped it around her shoulders. She headed silently through the ruins, little to no attention being paid to her, which was as she wanted it. She passed through a little noticed opening in the wall; soon she was enshrouded in the darkness away from the camp fires. She stood there for several moments, staring out into the desert night.

A hand covered her mouth and another wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a broad, strong chest. It was reminiscent to how the man on the boat had grabbed her, but her reaction to this hold could not be any more different. Her adrenaline spiked only for a moment before it immediately calmed, her body recognizing the hand over her mouth, the arm locked around her, and the strong form pressed intimately against her back. She melted into him automatically; she heard a swift intake of breath from him.

"Beautiful, young women, such as yourself should not wander in the dark alone." His husky voice had heat pooling low within her. "There are many creatures that would enjoy bringing her harm."

He lowered his hand from her mouth at only the slightest of pressure from her hands. "You would not allow such a thing." There was no arrogance in her tone, or question. It was stated simply as the fact that they both knew it to be.

She turned in his arms to face him and they stayed like that for several moments before his arms finally dropped reluctantly to his sides. He swallowed hard. "How have you been?"

She took a step back shrugging. "Alright, I suppose. Busy. You?"

"Busy," his tone matched hers. They stood there in a thick silence. He finally looked away from her eyes, for the first time since she turned, to glance in the direction of her camp. "You have a beautiful daughter." He looked back at her, his eyes burning with intensity and meaning.

"She takes after her father."

He pressed his lips together.

Deirdre bit her lip. "I didn't know, Ardeth," she finally burst out.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Before you had to leave," she elaborated. "I didn't find out about her until two weeks after you left. And then my grandparents showed up…" she trailed off; then took a step toward him. "If I had known I would have told you." Her eyes pleaded for him to believe her.

Ardeth stared at her for several moments before he nodded; she released the breath she had not realized she had been holding. He rested a hand on the hilt of his scimitar; his thumb running over the pommel – he was not a man who fidgeted but with Deirdre things always seemed to get flipped on their head for him.

"Her name is Hadiyya," she continued quietly. He looked up at her. "Her middle name is Davina, meaning beloved. It is a tradition in my family to give children Celtic middle names."

"Gift and beloved," he said quietly.

"I never wanted her to doubt that she was loved and wanted," Deirdre explained.

He nodded; then reached into his cloak. "I have something that I believe belongs to…Hadiyya." He tested the name on his tongue, and it fell from his lips like a prayer.

Deirdre gasped reaching out for the proffered item. "Kahlilah!" She accepted the doll and clutched it close to her as she looked back up at Ardeth. "Thank you, so much. Hadiyya was so upset when she lost Kahlilah and has not slept well since."

"One of my men found it before getting off the boat. My brother gave it to me once they returned." The corner of his lips twitched slightly. "I wondered who would bring a child on such a dangerous journey."

Deirdre cast her eyes downward. "I don't have a choice."

Ardeth raised his eyebrows, not only at her response but at how it echoed what he had said only days ago.

She took a deep breath and looked back up at him. "I only have my brother, Rick; there's no one else to look out for her and the two of them are all I have."

"Your brother, the man who pulled the dynamite," Ardeth nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting."

"I suppose that's one way to put seeing your brother and your…" she trailed off, "well, the two of you trying to kill each other," she finally settled on in a sharp voice.

He gave a nod of acknowledgement. "I am glad that I didn't kill your brother." He raised an eyebrow. "And I am most definitely glad that he did not kill me."

Deirdre could not stifle the grin that spread across her face.

One corner of his lips quirked up into a half smile. "I was wondering where that smile had gotten to."

She rolled her eyes; bowing her head to try and veil the smile that became wider.

The scarf had slipped off of the top of her head leaving her hair uncovered. Ardeth's hand rose of its own accord and he ran his fingers through the red locks. Her head lifted again, her eyes locking with his.

"_I'm sorry. I have always been told I have a temper to match my hair."_

What felt like electrical shocks skittered down his spine. Her gasp and slightly widened eyes told him that she felt it as well.

He swallowed, hard. "You had best get back, before you are missed." His hand did not dropped though,

"Yes," she breathed.

He gently cupped her cheek and leaned down.

Her hands had come up to grasp the front of his robes; she rose on her toes to meet his advance.

There was a clatter and raucous laughter only feet away on the other side of the wall.

Deirdre bowed her head; Ardeth's hand slid away from her cheek. The moment broken.

Her hands had not released their hold though and she once again rose on her toes; pressing her lips to his cheek. She whispered in his ear, "See you." Then she slipped away back through the wall.

The Medjai Chieftain stood there for several moments, trying to regain the calm, cool façade his people were used to seeing. He glanced one last time over his shoulder after the woman who, just by looking at him, could destroy his equilibrium entirely.

Finally he turned and disappeared into the dark desert night.

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There we are! The scene between Deirdre and Rick was fast and easy to write; the beginning of the scene between her and Ardeth went smoothly as well, but then bumps began to come up; I ended up writing bits and pieces over several weeks and the last part finally just rolled on out this afternoon, as if it was always there… Anywho, I hope it was ok!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much everyone for reading my story and for reviewing! I am sorry I write so slow! Most of the time I have at least a pretty good idea where the chapter is going to go before I even put my fingers to the keys but most of the time the refuse to come out smoothly. Instead it comes out in fits and bursts. Like the first part, it has been sitting on my computer for a while, the first part of the chapter I wrote, and it was not even the portion I had planned! Then more of the chapter came out a few weeks later, but again I was halted for a while. Finally last night the chapter was finished! Anywho. We are somewhere in the middle of the story; I know how it is ultimately going to end, though the specifics of that ending are not forth coming as of yet. Anywho. I will not be writing a story for The Mummy Returns, since little changes, but I will be writing a one-shot that takes place after that movie and is in this universe. I may continue on after that with another story…I am pretty sure I will, and it will still be part of this universe, though rather different… I'm sorry I am making little sense and that is way too far in the future at the moment to be even thinking about right now. Anywho, here is what you really came here for! I hope you like it!

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Deirdre silently walked through the ancient, twisting pathways of Hamunaptra. A breeze blew past her; she tightened her grip on her scarf around her shoulders.

She had refused to enter any of the inner spaces of the cursed ground, feeling the same evil that Rick had alluded to and not wanting to come into any further contact with it than was necessary. Until now.

Her brother and the Carnahan siblings had opened the sarcophagus they had found and the mummy had not been what they had been expecting; rather than being dried out and covered in bandages like all other mummies it apparently was still, to quote her brother and Jonathan, "juicy". For some reason she felt the driving need to see this body for herself.

She turned the corner and could see the sarcophagus leaning up against the wall; there was something leaning slightly out from it. She paused for a moment, knowing that she _really_ did not want to see what it was, but also knowing that she _needed_ to.

Taking a deep breath the young woman slowly came to stand in front of the open sarcophagus.

Her brother's description of "juicy" was rather apt really, for the body was indeed still quite…moist. Her stomach turned a bit and she swallowed hard to keep any bile down.

She wanted to turn and leave but found herself unable to. She felt almost drawn to the corpse; her eyes locked on what was left of the face.

What _was_ it about this mummy that drew her so?

There was a crash.

She spun, barely holding back a scream.

A rat scuttled along a ledge high on a wall, it had knocked an urn over in its haste.

Deirdre let out a relieved breath; turning back to the mummy.

He continued to stare at her.

She rubbed her hands over her upper arms before finally, rather reluctantly, turning and walking away. She had a meal to put on the proverbial table.

In the flickering torch light the empty sockets seemed to burn with hate and the face twisted in malice, promising death to the world.

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Deirdre dished out bowls of the stew she had managed to scrape together with some of their supplies. She was not overly happy that they were still at Hamunaptra or that there were not any plans to leave.

Hadiyya was sitting on a pile of blankets by the fire playing with Kahlilah, which she had been ecstatic to get back. Her brother and Jonathan were sitting by the fire along with, for some unfathomable reason to Deirdre, Benni Gabor. She had handed her daughter, brother and the British man bowls. When Benni opened his mouth to protest not being given any she shot him a glare that had him cringing in his seat. She then sat down beside her daughter with a bowl of her own.

"Say, O'Connell, what do you think these babies'll fetch back home?" Henderson asked, waving an ancient jar at them gleefully, as he and his two comrades approached them.

"We hear you boys found yourselves a nice, gooey mummy. Congratulations," Burns laughed as the trio joined them around the fire.

"If you dry that fella out, you might be able to sell him for firewood," Daniels jabbed.

"Look what I found," Evy announced, walking up to their group.

Rick turned to Benni. "You're in her seat."

The small man gave a snort; not moving, obviously thinking the American next to him was joking.

"Now!" Deirdre's brother snapped.

"Yup." He was on his feet instantly.

"Scarab skeletons, flesh eaters." She sat down, holding her find out for the rest to see. "I found them inside our friend's coffin. They can stay alive for years feasting on the flesh of a corpse." There was almost glee in her voice as she told them this. "Unfortunately for our friend he was still alive when they started eating him."

"So somebody threw these in with our guy and then they slowly ate him alive?" Rick looked a little disturbed.

"_Very slowly_," she said with some relish.

Deirdre had a feeling that under all of the woman's stiff, proper exterior was a woman who craved adventure and thrills as much as Deirdre's brother did.

"He certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him," Jonathan commented.

"Well, he probably got a little too frisky with the pharaoh's daughter." Rick smirked.

Hadiyya looked up at her mother. "Mummy, what does 'frisky' mean?"

Deirdre sent a death glare at her brother who shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe you should ask your uncle that another time."

Evy laughed lightly. "Well according to my readings our friend suffered the Hom-Dai, the worst of all ancient Egyptian curses, one reserved only for the most evil of blasphemers. In my research, I've never heard of this curse having actually been performed."

"That bad, huh?" Rick frowned.

"Yes, well, they – They never used it because they feared it so." Her voice became quiet, almost reverent. "It's written that if a victim of the Hom-Dai should ever arise," she began to smile, obviously thinking what was to follow was a silly myth, "he would bring with him the ten plagues of Egypt."

Deirdre clutched her wrap tighter around her and wrapped an arm around Hadiyya protectively.

"How many plagues?" Rick asked apprehensively.

"Ten," his sister repeated; she shifted closer to her daughter. "Like from the story of Moses in the Bible."

"Let's see how much Sunday school stayed wit me." Jonathan began numbering the plagues on his fingers, "You have your frogs, your flies, your locusts…dear me. I'm stuck already."

"Hail," Burns continued. "And fire."

"Sun turning black," Henderson put in.

"Water turning to blood," Daniels chimed in.

"Well, and then there's my personal favorite," Jonathan picked up again, "boils and sores all about the body – always a crowd pleaser…Can't anyone thing of the other two?"

Everyone was silent, seeming to not want to give voice to them. As if to finish the list would call down the very plagues on them.

"Death of the animals." Everyone turned at the abrupt break in the silence. Deirdre stared into the fire as she finished, "And death of the first-borns." At some point she had pulled Hadiyya into her lap; now she tightened her arms around her. "The death of every first-born child and what finally drove the pharaoh to release the Israelites…after he lost his son and heir." She pressed a kiss to the top of her daughter's head.

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After everyone had finished eating and started wandering away from the fire to their respective sleeping places Deirdre lay down, curling her body around her daughter protectively while Hadiyya slept. She stared into the fire for a while, allowing her mind to wander over all the things that had occurred since they had left Cairo. She looked down at her daughter's head and began to gently comb her fingers through the dark, curly locks. The little girl "hmm"ed contentedly in her sleep and snuggled closer to her mother. Deirdre smiled, kissed the top of her daughter's head; then closed her eyes.

"NO! You must not read from the book!"

Deirdre shot straight up from her sleeping position. She did not know how long she had been a sleep, but the fire was now burning lower and her brother and Evy were sitting not far from her; the woman was holding a strange looking book-like object in her lap with a _very_ guilty look on her face.

The Egyptologist fellow from the American's crew was running toward them franticly, obviously the one whose yell had woken Deirdre, and apparently everyone else since most were stumbling out of their tents.

The redhead opened her mouth to ask what was going on when she heard an ominous buzzing noise. She, along with all the others, turned toward the desert where the noise was coming from.

"Mummy?" Deirdre glanced down at her daughter's sleepy voice. "What's going on? What's that noise?"

The buzzing was getting louder; they could soon see a strange looking cloud coming toward them, quickly.

Deirdre frowned, trying to make out what it was; then her eyes went wide, about the same time that everyone else realized the same thing.

Locusts descended upon the encampment.

Hadiyya was crying and swatting at the creatures; Deirdre scooped her daughter up, wrapping the girl in her scarf, and ran deeper into the ruins to find some shelter. Everyone else was doing the same; most headed _inside_ but Deirdre refused to expose Hadiyya to the evil lurking there unless there was no other option. She spotted an outcrop and nearly dove underneath it. It was so low that Deirdre could not sit up, but all the better she thought, easier to protect themselves from the insects. She positioned them so that they were facing the wall; pressed up against it. She covered their heads and most of Hadiyya with the scarf. The little girl could not seem to stop crying. Deirdre murmured soothingly to her daughter and silently prayed that this would be over soon.

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Ardeth Bey and his men rode into the cursed ruins, having seen the descent of the locusts and knowing exactly what had happened; what the idiot outsiders had now brought down on them. They reached Hamunaptra just as the insects had begun to leave. Most of the people were not in sight; he had seen them heading inside the ruins. However they soon came across one of the "idiots", a man kneeling on the ground, clutching the Book of the Dead. The man, obviously the scholarly type who did not believe in learning any sort of fighting skills, gazed up at them in fear.

Ardeth dismounted, his men following his lead. "Watch him," the chieftain ordered briskly; then set off further into the ruins. His sharp eyes scanned everywhere, looking for any sign of Deirdre and her child.

Sobs came from his left; he turned and followed the sound; it came from underneath a deep inset in what used to be a wall but was now mostly destroyed and nearly completely buried in the sand. He knelt down and could see a lump clothed in familiar blue fabric.

"Deirdre."

The lump moved and the woman's face appeared from under the fabric.

He reached out one of his hands toward her. She shifted around until she had maneuvered Hadiyya closer to the opening and whispered soothingly to her before gently pushing the child to crawl toward Ardeth. The desert warrior reached both hands into the space and whisked the little girl out, swinging her up into the air for a moment before setting her back on the ground. Hadiyya let out a teary giggle and calmed down further. Ardeth then reached back under the stone and assisted Deirdre out of the space. He checked them both over as discretely as possible, though the redheaded woman noticed and rolled her eyes at his obvious over protectiveness.

"We are fine, Ardeth." Though he could see behind her brave words that she was shaken. She looked him levelly in the eye. "What is going on?"

His expression became dark. "The end of the world, perhaps," he said just loud enough for the woman to hear, but not the child.

Deirdre blanched.

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I hope that I did ok! I am not sure of the quality of the writing, but I was so caught up in the story once the chapter actually got going that my fingers were stumbling over themselves. Anyway. That first part was never planned but when I sat down to start this chapter it appeared quite suddenly and vividly in my mind, and I just had to write it and put it in there. I hope you liked it! As always and ever constructive criticism and praise are welcomed and adored. Flames belong in the fireplace and on candles.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you so much for all of the reviews! They are like lifeblood. And to all those who read and do not review, I thank you too (I do my share of lurking as well ;) ). So not a lot of new news with this chapter and a rather large section of movie dialogue (I'm sorry! :( ) But there is also a lot of non-cannon dialogue and interaction! :)

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Ardeth had explained quickly and in tones too low for Hadiyya, who was being entertained by one of the men, to hear the legend of Imotep and Ank-su-namun to Deirdre. She felt ill. What had they done? "Oh, Lord." Her hand covered her mouth, she watched her innocent daughter laughing while the fierce looking warrior made animated gestures. "Why didn't we leave…? Why wouldn't they leave?" She rubbed the bridge of her nose and then her temples.

Ardeth reached over and began to massage the back of her neck. "You have not been wearing your glasses."

She had relaxed some under his ministrations and gave a half-laugh. "You sound like my brother."

"Obviously we agree on something then."

This drew a weary chuckle from Deirdre. He continued to attempt to ease some of the strain in the muscles of her neck, which, while it did not cure the headache, he knew helped with the pain. His thumb scraped against a chain on her neck; he frowned and gently began to tug on the necklace. Deirdre lifted her head and squinted in his direction when his ministrations ceased.

Ardeth was holding in his hand her pendant. "You're wearing it." The comment was loaded with emotion and complexities. He lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"You asked me to never take it off," her tone was matter-of-fact, which caused his heart to squeeze that she would wear it still, simply because he asked her to.

He allowed the pendant to slide from his fingers; to lie sparkling dimly against the fabric of her dress. "Do not hide it," his voice was rough; he swallowed, trying to clear his throat, "how can it protect you as it should if none know it is there?"

Her eyes clouded with questions, questions he should have answered six years ago. Ardeth shook his head. Deirdre frowned, hurt in her eyes. He wanted to reach out and smooth the frown from her face, but there was too much between them now and no time to untangle the mess.

"Not now. This is not a discussion for this time and place." He hoped that they still knew each other well enough that she knew he was not trying to brush her off, but promising answers later.

The hurt slowly passed from her eyes, though the frown remained; she nodded. She was still squinting; the warrior wanted to continue in his attempts to relieve some of the pain, but her body language was telling him that contact right at the moment would not be welcome.

He turned to look at Hadiyya who was sitting on Ehsan's knee giggling, probably at some story the younger man was telling her. The chieftain's brother had been casting him looks ever since they had first seen Deirdre and Hadiyya the night before; he knew his brother suspected something.

"What does she know of her father?" Ardeth asked pensively.

The redhead's eyes glanced at him before joining him in contemplation of the small child. "She is still young enough and has little enough contact with other children that she does not ask too many questions too often. When she does ask I tell her that her father is a great man who loves her very much. That he would be with us if he could, but he has things that he has to take care of and right now it keeps him away."

Deirdre looked back at him; his face had tightened with pain. She bit her lip. "I won't keep her from you." He met her gaze. "I don't know what is going to happen, but no matter what I want you in her life…"

'What about you?' he wanted to ask, but knew as with so much else, now was not the time.

There was a commotion at one of the entrances drawing everyone's attention. Ardeth's eyes narrowed at the sight, the group of his men he had sent into the interior had emerged, two of them carrying one of the white men. "Go to Hadiyya, do not let her see anything," he said briskly to Deirdre as he rose and went over to them.

The firey young woman would have normally argued against such a tone, but knew that if he was telling her not to let the little girl see something, it was truly gory. She swiftly went over to Hadiyya and, smiling, took her daughter into her arms. She then proceeded to keep her daughter's eyes away from where the group was. Deirdre could not see what exactly was going on, her already poor eyesight shot to hell with the headache, and part of her was almost glad for it, she was actually a little afraid of what she might see otherwise.

Ardeth called his men over to another entrance, where they had heard noises approaching; they all began to form up. Deirdre moved closer to see better but still far enough away for safety.

Her brother, the Carnahan siblings and the other two Americans spilled out to the cocking of rifles.

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Rick had automatically raised his rifle at the sound and sight of all the guns now pointing at them, ready and awaiting any indication from the leader, who was the only one who had not leveled a gun on them. The Egyptologist was kneeling in front of the line, clutching the damn book. O'Connell lowered his gun reluctantly.

The leader pulled down the scarf that was covering the lower half of his face and stepped forward. "I told you to leave or die." He looked at them. "You refused. Now, you may have killed us all," Rick could not help the chill that skittered down his spine, "for you have unleashed a creature we have feared for more than 3,000 years."

There was a flash of blue behind the line of warriors; Rick's eyes locked with Deirdre's. She held the gaze for a moment but then looked down, almost ashamed, but not of herself. The American scowled at his sister's actions before turning his attention back to the leader. "Relax. I got him."

"No mortal weapon can kill this creature," the dark man snarled, disgustedly. "He's not of this world."

The line parted and the leader stepped to the side as two of the warriors carried Burns forward to lay him near Henderson and Daniels, who knelt to cradle their companion.

Daniels turned to them. "You bastard."

"What did you do to him?" Henderson demanded.

Rick heard his sister make a sound of protest.

"We saved him." The leader leveled them with a cold glare, making it clear just who should _really_ be feeling guilty at the moment. "Saved him before the creature could finish his work." His gaze turned back to Rick. "Leave, all of you, quickly, before he finishes you all." He spoke in Arabic, gesturing his men forward; he followed them. "I must now go on the hunt, and try and find a way to kill him."

"I already told you, I got him," Rick reiterated.

The leader froze; then turned back to them and took a step toward them. "Know this, this creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, he will never sleep, and he will _never_ stop." He turned again but was halted when Rick's hand shot out and gripped his arm.

Their eyes met, anger burning in both pairs. "And what about my sister?"

The leader removed the American's hand from his arm and stepped closer. "_I_ protected her, what _you_ are supposed to do." The dark man looked him up and down disdainfully. "I would remove Deirdre _and_ Haddiya from your care, since you seem incapable of doing your job, but I have not the men or time at the moment to take them home."

"And what gives _you_ the right to 'remove' them from my 'care'," O'Connell stepped forward going toe to toe with the other man.

A smirk graced the leader's lips. "Because Haddiya is of my people, and thus under _my_ protection; which makes Deirdre, as her mother, under my protection as well." He turned, leaving a gaping Rick O'Connell behind him.

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Deirdre knew that her brother wanted nothing more than to tear into her about what Ardeth had said, but there was no time. They all gathered up all that they could carry on horse or camel back and rode off as quickly as possible.

"Mummy." Deirdre looked down at her daughter, who was cradled in her arms. "Will I get to see Ehsan again soon? He told good stories."

The redhead swallowed hard but managed to force a smile. "I hope so, sweetheart."

They stopped at an oasis to rest for a while, and did the same on the next day. On the third day Deirdre slipped away from the group while they rested. Somehow she had managed to dodge her brother the last two days and intended to do the same for as long as possible. She loved Rick dearly, really she did, but she chafed under his demands to know about Haddiya's paternity and what would amount to Deirdre's last year in England.

She slid down a dune and remained sitting there in the dark, waiting.

"You are taking a risk."

She turned toward Ardeth's voice though she could only vaguely make out his outline in the near-pitch black. "I needed to see you at least one last time before we got to Cairo."

He was silent for a moment. "We cannot speak long; they will begin to worry for you."

The redhead nodded and bit her lip. "Haddiya was asking after Ehsan, saying that he told 'good' stories."

He shifted and she could hear the touch of amusement when he spoke, "My brother is very creative in his story-telling."

She nervously rubbed a finger over her pendant.

The Med-jai chieftain took a deep breath. "On the third day after you arrive in the city come to the Cairo Museum of Antiquities; I will be there on that day. However, should you need help before then go to the museum and show your pendant to the curator, Dr. Bey; he is my uncle and will see to it that you and Haddiya are protected."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

They lapsed into silence.

Deirdre gathered sand into her hand and allowed it to slowly slip between her fingers.

Ardeth stared out into the impregnable darkness, as if trying to divine its secrets.

"Ardeth," she finally whispered. "What are we doing?"

They both knew what she was really referring to.

He took a moment to answer. "I do not know."

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So after I wrote that first part I realized how incongruous it was to what everyone else in the cannon was going through right under Ardeth and Deirdre's feet. In fact it now rather amuses me having the crew running for their lives below while our couple have a moment and little Haddiya is laughing at a wild story Ehsan is telling (Ehsan has been very quiet about himself and what he's like for the most part, but now his voice has finally started talking and I am growing quite attached to him.) And of course I am not making things too easy for our couple right now; they have a great deal to discuss and no time to do it in. Gotta love tension… ;D Anywho, enough about my twisted sense of humor. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry about Ardeth and Deirdre's history still not really coming out but they're not quite ready yet. The next part they'll either be in Cairo or Deirdre will be telling at least some part of their past… I'm not sure yet… These characters really do have a life of their own and will do as they wish… Please let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

I'm baaaaaack! Sorry about the delay. This is a longer chapter than usual, and it will be followed by another longer chapter. And, joy of joy, NO MOVIE DIALOGUE IN EITHER! :D ...And now I'm spazing...Ack! I'm going to post this before I let myself change my mind!

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Deirdre stormed, scowling, into the sitting room of the suite she and Haddiya were sharing with Evy. She slammed the door in her brother's face, hoping, spitefully, that it broke his nose. She locked it just as he began pounding on the door.

Evy had looked up from her book; her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline at the commotion. "What's happened?"

Deirdre spun around; the anger in her expression faded away to vague annoyance which was not directed at the other woman. She flounced over to the chair across from Evy and collapsed with a huff. "My brother being a jerk; demanding to know things that he does not have the absolute right to know, though he acts like he does. Not even giving me the courtesy of asking!"

The dark haired woman watched the redhead for several moments, blinking. "So what is really bothering you is that your brother demands the answers rather than asking for them?"

The Egyptian/British raised American nodded, disgustedly.

Evy closed her book and tilted her head to the side. "If you don't mind me asking – you don't have to tell me if you don't want to – who was that man?"

Deirdre looked at her for a moment expressionlessly; then a grin slowly spread across her face. "Well, since you asked so nicely…" She gave a soft chuckle before her expression became more serious. "His name is Ardeth Bey."

The half-Egyptian shivered slightly at the almost intimate way the name rolled off the redhead's lips. "Is – is he the one you spoke of before? The one it was too painful to talk about?"

Her companion nodded. "Yes."

The librarian bit her lip shyly. "How – how did you two meet?"

A blush and grin spread across the other woman's face. "Well… I was staying with a friend in Cambridge. My grandparents had gone off on a trip around Europe; I did not want to go and had managed to convince them to let me stay with, Heather, my friend. Ardeth was attending University at Cambridge…"

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**Six and a half years ago…**

Deirdre sighed in annoyance and boredom at the petty gossip of the young women she was walking with. She had no idea how Heather could possibly stand them; she had only known them ten minutes and she was already ready to strangle them. What a tongue lashing she'd love to give them, but she did not want to embarrass her best friend. Oh, how she missed her brother and his bluntness; if he did not like someone he let them know to their face, instead of this backstabbing maliciousness. Did she ever _hate_ the society among the nobility and wealthy.

Her right shoulder bumped into a taller, harder form, but it shifted a little, the slightest give, at the same time she did, so she knew that it was a person and not a lamppost. The redhead spun to look at her victim. "I'm so sorry."

At the same time he was saying, "I beg your pardon."

Deirdre froze. His accent alone would have stopped her dead, but the whole of him…

She had to tilt her head back to look up at him, not that remarkable considering she was rather short, but she really did like men who were tall, which he was. And he was heart-stopping-ly handsome. His hair was black, silky and down to his shoulders. His dark brown eyes were intense, soulful. His skin was a warm, deep tan color. Coloring so painfully familiar that it made her ache for her family, while at the same time he made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her chest. His voice was smooth, flowing like the wind over the Sahara and just as mysterious as the endless desert.

She was staring, and she knew it, but she could not stop.

He was staring as well; curiosity, confusion and something else flickered in his eyes.

A smile creased Deirdre's face; her lips parted slightly and she took a deep breath.

A hand grabbed her upper arm and jerked her away. "Come along, Margaret."

Deirdre had to grit her teeth to keep herself from snapping at the annoying witch for not only being so rude, but also the use of her first name. The three snobbish socialites were either avoiding looking at the young man entirely or eying him like a particularly disgusting bug that they did not even want to deign to squish. Heather looked embarrassed at their actions and had ducked her head.

The redhead looked over her shoulder at the man rolling her eyes and giving him an apologetic look.

He nodded his head graciously in return, understanding and slight surprise discernable in his expression.

She smiled before finally, reluctantly turning forward. Maybe she would see him again; a sneaky grin slyly made its way across her face.

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**Present(ish)**

"I assume that you met again after that?" Evy said gently, she did not want to push too much; she was not family, she could barely claim friendship, and she knew that Deirdre hated to be forced. But she was really curious, and now interested in the story unfolding before her.

Deirdre smiled, her eyes twinkling.

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Ardeth sat on a rock by the spring in the oasis where he and his men had stopped to rest; staring out over the small body of water. His mind was drawn back in time.

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**Six and a half years ago…**

He sat on the grass by the river Cam. There were not many around, and none who would have "lowered" themselves to seek _his_ company. He often wondered why his father had sent him to school here. Yes he was getting an excellent education but at the same time he was marginalized and ostracized. He was so alone.

"_Is this seat taken?"_

His head shot up at the words, spoken in Arabic that had rolled so beautifully in the female voice next to him. The young woman he had bumped into earlier that day was smiling down at him, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement and humor. Her accent had been a little strange but her pronunciation fluent.

"_No, please, sit,"_ he responded in kind, gesturing beside him.

She swept her hands along her skirt to make it easier to sit down on the grass. _"My name is Deirdre O'Connell."_

"_Ardeth Bey,"_ he responded, bowing his head and touching his hand to his forehead out of habit.

The redheaded woman nodded in response; then tilted her head to the side. _"I hope you do not think me too forward; it has just been so long since I have been able to speak with someone in Arabic. It comforts me."_

The young Med-jai shook his head. _"No. Though I am curious because one of the women earlier called you 'Margaret' and now you have said your name is 'Deirdre'."_

She shook her head and muttered something uncomplimentary about the other woman. _"Margaret is my first name but I do not care for it; I prefer to be called Deirdre, my middle name."_

"Ah," he nodded. _"And how does a high born, young, British woman, such as yourself, know Arabic?"_

Deirdre stared out over the Cam; she told him about her family history; how much she loved Egypt, and how much she despised England. Ardeth could not help but agree with her on both accounts and told her so.

"_So you are here with your grandparents?"_

She shook her head. _"They are traveling; I did not want to go with them; they agreed to let me stay here with a friend and her father."_ She grinned at him. _"They are under the mistaken impression that Heather's father is a wonderful chaperone. In truth Heather could probably get away with murder right under his nose and he would happily ignore it, but she's too proper to take advantage. I, on the other hand, have no such qualms."_ Her face became serious for a moment. _"I would not intentionally do anything to hurt either of them, embarrass them or tarnish their reputations, though. They have been kind to me and let me be more myself than I normally am able to be."_

Ardeth watched her, having the strong impression of an exotic bird trapped in a tiny cage, who, for the moment at least, was out of the cage but tied down by a relatively short leash.

Deirdre tilted her head to the side inquisitively. _"So, how did you come to end up in this bleak country?" _She bent her knee up and rested her elbow on it; propping her head on her hand._ "I don't think you could find anywhere more differing from Egypt, in climate and culture."_

"_My family is well enough off that we are able to pursue higher education, should it be chosen. Though, since I am the eldest it was mostly a foregone conclusion; it was expected that I would go to a Western university and then return home upon the completion of my education. I was given the choice to attend Oxford or Cambridge."_ He looked back over the river. _"Thus I am here."_

He felt her intent gaze on him and turned to look at her; meeting her watchful gaze. _"What are you thinking, if I may ask?"_ Inwardly he marveled at his daring, both of theirs actually. He had never been so frank with someone he had just met before, though her own forthright attitude seemed to encourage his candor.

The redhead lowered her knee and sat up straight again. _"I'm thinking that you look as lonely as I feel."_ He felt his eyebrows shoot up. _"And…I'm thinking," _a hopeful smile creased across her face, _"that we could both use a friend who can understand that feeling."_

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**Present**

Ardeth chuckled. "Bold as brass…" He stared up at the setting sun. How he had loved that about her.

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Evy was trying very hard not to gape; as it was she was blushing a very deep red.

Deirdre glanced at her with a grin. "I suppose I should have acted with more reserve."

"I-" Evy's voice came out rather squeaky; she cleared her throat. "You certainly had more daring than I would have had."

The redhead laughed. "I have never been good at proper behavior, not when I did not feel the need for it and when there was a need I was rarely successful." She glanced out the window at the sunset, smiling ruefully. "It got me in trouble plenty of times. That along with my temper and stubborn streak."

Evy bit her lip, she was trying to restrain herself, but she was really becoming tied up in the story. "Um…so…uh…When did the two of you become…"

"Intimate?" Deirdre offered cheekily.

The librarian blushed profusely. "Well – uh – Romantic, actually."

She quietly chuckled.

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**The Past…Three Weeks Later…**

Deirdre sat on the grass with her legs straight out in front of her and her hands braced behind her; her head was tilted back soaking up the sun.

"What are your plans for the future?"

She turned at her companion's question. Ardeth was sitting beside her, one leg outstretched and the other bent up; his elbow resting on it, propping up his head.

Neither had practiced much reserve with each other when they spoke, always speaking their minds freely; asking questions that they would never ask others.

She sat up straight, pulling her knees up and hugging them to her chest. "Well, it more or less has been decided _for_ me." He raised an eyebrow. "I am more or less expected to do what my grandparents wanted my mother to do. Marry the man of their choosing and be a proper wife in society." The redhead looked back out at the river. "Of course the man of their choosing will more or less be dictated by who makes the best offer." She curled her lip. "I hate it, being sold off like livestock."

"Then, what do _you_ want from your life?"

She met his gaze, biting her lip. "I hardly dare to imagine such things." She stared wistfully off. "When I was a child I loved to dance ballet. My parents paid for me to have lessons; my grandparents permitted me to continue them for a few years, hoping that it would help increase my gracefulness and aid in my ballroom dancing. But then they cutoff the lessons just before my introduction into society, saying that it was improper at that point for me to continue." A smile crept across her face as she lay back on the grass. "If I could live my life as I wished, I would study and work to become prima ballerina. I would remain with the company for some years; leaving either when I had grown too old to be a dancer any more and going on to teach, or until I fell in love and got married. I would most definitely prefer the latter."

Ardeth watched her intently. "You want to get married?"

She turned to him, blushing slightly; seeming as though she had actually forgotten he was there. "Yes. I want to get married and have several children. Being one of only two and then more or less an only child after my grandparents took me, I have always wished that I had more siblings. I want a large family." Her gaze became inquisitive. "What about you?"

He looked off in the distance. "I am expected to complete university with top marks. Go home and take my place among my people. I am to marry a woman and have a family." He looked down at her, smiling wryly. "Though, I am not expected to enter a loveless marriage. She and I will be each other's choice. Close, loving families are important among my people; it keeps us strong and unified."

A wistful look crossed Deirdre's face at that before going back to inquisitive. "What would _you_ like to do?"

He shrugged. "Not really any different." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Though, I think I might like to travel the world a bit more before going home."

"Where?"

He frowned. "I am not sure. China perhaps, Australia, South America…"

A teasing light entered her eyes. "The good ol' USA?"

He smirked. "Now why would I ever want to go to a country with such trouble some people?"

She reached out and pushed him; he caught her hand, grinning. She attempted to tug her hand away, struggling not to smile, but instead managed to pull him slightly off balance so that he had to catch himself with his free hand. They were grinning at each other until the realization of their position began to come over them. He was leaning over her slightly and she was gazing right up at him, their heads less than a foot apart.

Deirdre's heart was pounding. She had been to many parties and other gatherings, and she had had her fair share of men coming close to kissing her, she had always managed to dodge, but never had she felt like this.

Ardeth's eyes searched her face; she was not sure what he was looking for, perhaps permission? He released her hand; she immediately missed the contact; then reached his hand up to brush a loose lock of hair back from her face. Her eyes fluttered as his allowed his fingers to trail down her cheek, the sensation doing strange things to her insides, to gently cup her jaw. He just left his hand like that, watching her closely. She sat up, not taking her eyes from his; he left his hand on her face. She prayed that he knew she was asking him to continue, she could hardly breathe. She tried to count her heartbeats but could not keep track. He lowered his head to hers; she tilted her head back and raised it slightly to meet his lips.

She gasped at the contact. Every nerve in her body felt like a live wire. He rocked back like one burned.

Their eyes met, both of them gasping, unable to conceal what the simple contact had done to them. Unable to hide the questions running through both of their minds.

What had they done?

What had they begun?

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I know I am evil! Don't worry though! I will have more about the past in the next chapter! It's just that there are quite a few things that Deirdre and Ardeth want to tell us and I didn't want to make you have to wait any longer, so I'm dividing it in half…sorta. I hope that you liked it! (Still spazing... *paces nervously*)


	8. Chapter 8

I am yet again sorry about this being slow in coming; as is this story's habit the chapter started out flowing easily and then came to a halt before my muse finally was kind enough to let me finish the chapter. We continue our journey in the past. I hope that you enjoy it!

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**The Past…**

Over the last two months of their friendship Deirdre and Adreth had each begun teaching each other things.

Ardeth, four weeks ago, had placed a practice scimitar in the young woman's hands and taught her how to use it. She was in no way, shape or form a warrior, nor particularly skilled at it. However she was very graceful and fluid in her movements, and every inch a fighter. Eager to learn how defend herself and others, should the occasion call for it. When he had handed her a gun, though, she had looked at him warily, saying that it was probably a bad idea; when he asked why she made her point by missing the target so badly that he immediately took the gun away. She explained her degenerating eyesight; she could not "hit the broadside of a barn with a bat". When he asked where her glasses were she told him that she could see well enough to generally get around without them but eventually this would not be so. As long as she could do without them her grandparents did not want her to have them, since they "detracted from her looks". She admitted that she had frequent headaches from straining her eyes to read. He presented her with a pair of glasses two days later. She still could not hit the target but now she could at least read with fewer headaches.

A week after he began teaching her she found out he could not dance and she made it her mission to teach him. At first he had fumbled through most the steps and moves but eventually he found his feet and was able to lead her around their impromptu dance floor. He had yet to decide if it was the greatest pleasure he ever endured or the worst torture.

Ever since the kiss they had been increasingly aware of each other, with their attraction steadily growing. A couple weeks into her scimitar lessons Deirdre had arrived a little early to the secluded spot where they did their practicing; she had caught him going through practice movements…shirtless. She had been taught at a very young age that it was not polite to stare, and she had never really felt the need to stare at any man. Until that moment. She was unable to look away from the sight which had sent heat rushing through her veins. Then he had seen her and stopped. Deirdre had finally managed to look away, her face probably blending in with her hair. He had stood frozen for a few moments before moving over to where he had left his shirt and putting it back on. They had attempted to carry on with the lesson as if nothing had happened, but you could have cut the tension in the air with the scimitar they were working with.

Every time she ended up pressed closer to him than intended during a dance lesson. Every time he would wrap his arms around her to adjust her stance with the scimitar. Every touch, every look… They could both feel it building up; Ardeth knew he should break off their "friendship" immediately, but he found himself incapable of doing so.

This particular day she said that she had a surprise. She was leading him through the streets, where he had no idea, until she stopped at the back entrance of a building he did not know. She knocked on the door; a few minutes later it was opened by a man who grinned upon seeing Deirdre standing there.

"Deirdre, right on time."

The redhead smiled warmly back at him as she entered with Ardeth right behind her. "Thank you for letting us in, Jeremy."

He waved a hand. "Happy to help. Madam Neveu sends her best wishes."

A wistful look overcame the young woman's face. "Tell her I send mine."

Jeremy nodded and began to move off. "I'll leave you to it then."

"Thank you again," Deirdre called after him before he disappeared into another room; she then turned to Ardeth. He raised and eyebrow at her and a wide grin spread across her face. "Come," she grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her as she made her way excitedly to wherever it was they were going in the building. She led him through two hallways and up a staircase before they came to a door; she opened it and pulled him into the dimly lit room.

The floor was smooth hardwood, the walls were covered in mirrors on three sides and a wood bar lined the walls.

Deirdre left him by the door, inspecting the room while she placed the small bag she had been carrying by one wall and began pulling off the long overcoat she had been wearing to reveal an outfit that was more revealing than he had ever seen her wear. She reached into her bag to pull out a pair of worn, faded, pink shoes. "You said that you would like to see me dance ballet some time so I asked Madam Neveu, a friend of my former teacher, to use this room." She sat on the floor and pulled on the slippers, crisscrossing the ribbons around her ankles.

"Did you take ballet lessons here?"

She shook her head as she twisted her long red locks into a strict bun. "No. But sometimes I come here and dance on my own. It's soothing."

She stood and went over to the gramophone and started it up; strains of a classical song drifted through the air. Deidre closed her eyes and began swaying slightly to the music. And then she was floating and flowing around the room; those two words were the only way Ardeth could describe how she moved, like water, like air. She rarely opened her eyes, lost in her own world; he wondered if she even remembered he was there. One song flowed into another. After a while he noticed that her cheeks were damp, from tears. He debated for a moment whether to leave it be or do something.

He stepped into the path of her turning form.

Deirdre collided with his chest; his arms wrapped around her, holding her up when she nearly lost her balance. Her eyes snapped open and coupled with his. Neither could look away. His arms around her waist pulled her closer; her hands, resting on his chest, gripped the fabric of his shirt. His head bent down and hers tilted back.

This time it was she who turned her head.

Ardeth pressed his lips together.

She dropped her head to his chest. He was about to release her when he felt her body shaking and realized that she was crying.

"Deirdre…?"

"I can't keep doing this," she sobbed out; he stiffened. She lifted her head to look at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't keep pretending that I don't want more than this." One of her hands released its grip and reach up to trail down the side of his face and neck, her eyes watched the path her hand took, while his fell shut at the sensation.

He reached up and captured her hand, pulling it away. "Everyone –"

"I don't care what 'everyone' thinks!" she cried, wrenching herself loose of him. She moved a few feet away, wrapping her arms about her. "Don't you think I wish I knew how things had gotten so complicated?" There was nearly a hysterical edge to her voice, but she was struggling to keep it in check. "Do you think that at times I don't wish things were simple? That I did not feel for you as I do? That I did not want you like I do? But I do! And I can't stop it, and I can't honestly say that I even _want_ to now!"

His lips were on hers in a second. She pushed at his chest fruitlessly a couple of times before her arms slid up to wrap around his neck. He ran a hand up her spine to the back of her head. As his thumb swept along the skin of her neck she gasped; he deepened the kiss and when she returned it with enthusiasm he groaned.

Finally he tore his mouth from hers; she made a sound of protest, but he covered her lips with his fingers, looking her straight in the eye. "I don't do things by halves, Deidre." His expression had her heart racing.

"Neither do I."

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For all the complications that giving in and allowing their relationship to turn romantic caused, for them, personally, it was so much simpler. Easier. Like breathing.

A few days after the turning point in the dance studio, Deirdre introduced Ardeth to her friend, Heather. With Deirdre, whom they both loved, endorsing them to each other they came to like and respect each other fairly quickly. Heather frequently joined them in their lessons, especially the dancing lessons where she revealed to Ardeth that she was a talented musician and vocalist; she would play – and sometimes sing – for them while they moved over the dance floor. Now that she knew what was going on between them she was happy to not only turn a blind eye but on occasion cover for them, which they were particularly grateful for after the first time Deirdre did not sleep in her bed at Heather's house.

Deirdre had quietly slipped into the house early the following morning; Heather was sitting on her bed waiting for her.

The blond had raised an eyebrow and simply said, "Be careful, and next time let me know beforehand so I have more warning to come up with a story."

Deirdre had nearly gaped at her but nodded in agreement.

And so their affair continued.

Until, weeks later, Ardeth received a letter from home.

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They were tangled together on Ardeth's bed in his apartment. He ran his hand up and down her bare back in a lazy caress, but she could tell his thoughts were preoccupied.

"Ardeth."

"Hmm?" he said distractedly.

"What's wrong?"

His hand stilled.

She pushed herself up to look at him – being around dancers so much had made her a little self-conscious than most about her nudity. "What is it?"

He looked away, taking a deep breath. "I received a letter from my mother this morning."

She nodded for him to continue.

"My father has had a stroke."

Deirdre gasped.

"They need me to come home for a while. But…" He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, "I do not want to leave you, but it would not be…proper, under the circumstances, to bring you without telling my father first."

Her heart was pounding; she swallowed. "You – you want me to go back with you?"

He sat up and raised his other hand so that her face was cradled between his palms. "That and more. I want to come back for you and bring you to my people as my bride."

Joy overflowed in her heart.

He took a deep breath. "Weddings are different among my people than they are among yours. But if you want a ceremony in a church as well, we can do that."

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes, Ardeth, yes to everything."

Relief and love spread across his face; he leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you, Deirdre O'Connell."

She grinned. "I love you too, Ardeth Bey."

"I have something for you." He leaned back toward the nightstand, opened the drawer, pulled out a velvet pouch and closed the drawer again. He reached into the pouch and withdrew a silver necklace.

She gasped. "It's beautiful."

"Turn around," he requested.

She did so; he was seated behind her. He reached over her head, draping the necklace over her chest and clasping it behind her neck. He pulled her hair out from it and pressed a kiss against her nape.

She brought the pendent up to her eyes. "What is it?" She looked at him questioningly over her shoulder.

"I suppose you can consider it a promise or reassurance that I will return." A troubled look passed his eyes. "Promise me you will never take it off."

She was surprised at the near-commanding tone in his voice that he had never used with her before. "Why?"

"It will protect you," he said simply, though it actually confused her more. "Promise me…please," there was a pleading tone in the last word that finally convinced her.

"I promise."

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Later she would learn that it was a jealous, would-be suitor who betrayed her secret affair.

Two weeks after Ardeth left her grandparents had unexpectedly blown into Cambridge, dragged her – nearly literally – out of Heather's home and back to one of their estates, furious at her "gall" to "carry-on with a savage".

She became a virtual prisoner in the house.

Nearly a month after she was first locked up in her room the secret she herself had only discovered two days before being unceremoniously removed from Cambridge became too obvious for her maid to miss and was reported to her grandparents, increasing their ire exponentially. They had decreed she was to remain locked away for the remainder of her "confinement". The baby, once born, would then be quietly shipped off to an orphanage and she would be immediately married off to the suitor her grandparents had chosen, incidentally the one who had ratted her out.

The thought of her child being taken from her vaulted Deirdre into action. The instant she sensed her grandparents and the house's staff's guards down the slightest bit the escaped her prison. She had squirreled away enough money and brought enough jewelry to pay her way to Egypt. She stopped in Cambridge on her way, to say good bye to Heather. Her friend informed her that Ardeth had returned for her, but had left a week ago to try and find her. Deirdre had not dared to stay but had asked Heather to tell Ardeth, if he returned, where she was going. After a tearful farewell to her friend she had left.

Deirdre managed to find Rick, who had been shocked, to say the least, at his sister's "condition", but had decided to try and go straight for his sister and her unborn child who now depended on him. So he had gotten a commission and taken them to Libya, Deirdre was reluctant to leave but had little choice. When they arrived she had begun to resign herself to the idea that she may never see Ardeth again with no way to get in touch with him.

She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who was the center of her world. And even though by the time they had returned to Cairo she had given up any real hope of seeing her beloved again she still wore the necklace.

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Ardeth sat beside his father, who was asleep, they were told this was for the best since it would help him heal. His father was doing better than when he had first returned, but it was doubtful that even once he had recovered he would be able to lead once more. Ardeth bowed his head, feeling a bit guilty for his heart longing to return to Deirdre rather than remain here where he was needed.

"You are troubled, my son," his father's struggling voice had Ardeth's head snapping up.

"Abba, you should be resting." He leaned closer.

"Cannot, when you suffer," he managed, though it was an obvious effort. "What troubles you? You have not been the same since England."

Ardeth lowered his head to stare at his hands, wondering how to tell his father.

"Ah," came his father's knowing voice; the young man looked up questioningly. "You have left your heart there."

Ardeth sucked in a surprised breath but nodded slowly.

Faraj Bey gave a soft chuckle and lifted his good hand to point at his son. "It is in your eyes." He lowered his hand. "Tell me about her."

Ardeth began telling his father about Deirdre, slowly at first but more quickly with each word; one would have to be blind and deaf not to see and hear his love for her.

Faraj took a deep breath and settled back more on his bed. "This is good. You will go and bring her back to us."

Ardeth nearly collapsed with relief. "Thank you, Abba."

But the path of true love never did run smooth.

He returned to Cambridge to find out that Deirdre's grandparents had returned, months early, and had forcibly taken her away. All he had to go on were the locations of their estates, given to him by a tearful and worried Heather. By the time he had reached their third estate news had caught up to him of Deirdre's escape, though her grandparents had attempted to keep it hushed up. He had rushed to Cambridge in hope of catching her there with Heather, only to find that she had left for Egypt to look for her brother.

He immediately caught the next boat home, and began the search for her, but except for a few sightings, some which were highly questionable, he had no more information to go on. He returned to his people and father, heartbroken.

Faraj had lived for two more years but indeed had not been able to retake the mantle of leadership, so it was handed on to Ardeth. His people found in him a strong, steady, good leader, his father's son. But all could see that his heart was not with him; since he had told none but his father about Deirdre they could only speculate what had happened.

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**Present(ish) in Cairo…**

Deirdre was sitting with her chin propped on her hand, staring out the window at the sunset.

"So," Evy's soft voice drew the redhead out of her memories to look at her, "what will you two do now?"

Deirdre frowned, troubled. "I don't know." She looked down at her lap, she had folded her legs under her on the cushioned chair. "It has been nearly six years since we saw each other last, that's a lot of time apart and neither of us is the same anymore."

"But," the dark haired woman began hopefully, "you still love each other. So you could still work things out."

The redhead had a wistful look on her face. "Maybe," she said, afraid to hope. She went back to staring out the window.

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**In the desert…**

Ehsan stood watching his elder brother as he went about his usual habit of sunset-watching. Ever since that red haired woman had called out to Ardeth during the skirmish among the ruins, he had been distracted, which was not normal for the dedicated leader. Ardeth treated the woman, Deirdre Ehsan believed her name was, differently than any other outsider. They knew each other; that was blindingly obvious, but how? Was it from his time in England? If so, was she the reason he was so different when he returned?

Ehsan sighed in frustration, knowing that even if he asked it was unlikely Ardeth was going to be forthcoming with any answers. He turned back to where the other men were gathered around the fire, leaving his brother to brood.

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I hope that it was ok! Thank you so much for reading! As ever, let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

As ever I thank you all for the reviews, favorites and alerts! :D This chapter was actually more or less written in a day, yesterday, with only minor edits done today – mostly looking up to make sure the Arabic words I was using were correct, any problems you have with the spelling, I will say in my defense that I came across many different phonetic spellings during my search and I picked one of them. I hope that the chapter is ok; it was one of those chapters that just gets written in a whirlwind.

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Deirdre made her way through the streets of Cairo, having caught a ride back into the city from the Fort where they had been staying. As she had prepared to leave that morning to go to the museum Evy had come to the decision that she was going to mount and expedition to stop Imhotep and had been working herself into an almost manic state by the time Deirdre and Hadiyya had left.

The redhead looked up at the museum, preparing to climb the steps, she had never been here before, and the building was rather intimidating to her, truth be told. She reached out to open the door but pulled back when she saw the "Closed" sign hanging. She frowned; then, determination settling in her expression turned around and walked back down the stairs.

"Mummy, I thought we were going to the museum?" Hadiyya looked up at her mother inquiringly.

Deirdre smiled down at her daughter tenderly as she led the little girl around the side of the building to where she guessed the back entrance was. "We are, but we're just going in another way."

The little girl tilted her head, a little confused but nodded, accepting her mother's explanation.

They indeed did find a back door which Deirdre knocked on firmly, tamping down on her slight nervousness.

The man who answered the door was not particularly tall, middle aged with a red fez. He eyed her with disdain and opened his mouth, most likely to dismiss her when he noticed her necklace, worn openly as Ardeth had told her to. He looked up at her face, eyes narrow as if trying to divine secrets from it. He finally stepped aside. "Come in."

"Thank you," Deirdre nodded to him.

Once mother and daughter were inside he closed the door and then moved around them and gestured down the hall. "This way." He did not even check to see if they were following, reminding Deirdre of some of Ardeth's more imperious moments; she rolled her eyes thinking, 'Well, now I know where he gets it from, at least.'

He led them briskly down the dim hallway into the museum proper, introducing himself as he went, "I am Dr. Terrence Bey, curator of this museum."

"Deirdre O'Connell, and my daughter, Hadiyya."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement of the introductions but did not turn. Deirdre found herself shaking her head, not sure about how she felt about this man, who appeared to tolerate her solely because of Ardeth.

They soon came upon Ardeth and Ehsan, standing in a display chamber not far from the back door. Both men nodded their greeting, Ehsan watching his brother's expression closely the entire time. For a brief moment joy, like he had not seen in his elder brother in years, had flashed in Ardeth's eyes before it was once again hidden.

Mother and daughter were wearing the same clothing as they had in Hamunaptra, though the dresses were now at least clean and they had both bathed. Hadiyya was still dragging about the rather ragged, well-loved doll from before. Deirdre settled her daughter in a corner with a few toys from the small satchel she was carrying and a glass of water, promising her daughter that she could ask Ehsan about telling her another story in a little while, but at the moment the adults needed to talk about something.

Her eyes remained on her daughter as she walked over to where the three men were waiting; once she stood with them she finally peeled her eyes away from Hadiyya and faced them, her eyes focused on Ardeth. "Did you find him?" she asked in a low enough tone that the child would not hear.

A dark look crossed Ardeth's face and he shook his head. "No, we have been unable to locate him, but the people he needs to regenerate himself are here, so he will undoubtedly follow."

The blood drained from her face, she swallowed hard and nodded. Her gaze turned once more to her child; the little girl looked up and grinned at her mother, Deirdre managed a weak smile and wave. Once Hadiyya's attention had returned to her toys, Deirdre turned back to the men and opened her mouth to ask a question.

"Mummy!"

All four heads turned to the little girl, who got to her feet, holding her glass in both hands and making a face as she walked over to the adults. She raised the glass to her mother, frowning with her nose wrinkled. "Mummy, my water is all red."

The Med-jai went stock still; Deirdre struggled to keep her face pleasant as she took the glass from her daughter. She dipped her finger into the liquid; it came away with red liquid clinging to it. She swallowed thickly, looking rather sick, but she smiled gently down at her daughter and ran her free, un-bloodied hand over her daughter's hair. "Well, that just won't do. We'll try and get you something else to drink in a little while, ok, sweetheart?"

Hadiyya pursed her lips but nodded and headed back to her toys.

Once her child was again settled she turned back to the men. "He's not _coming_, he's already _here_, isn't he?" She held up the glass full of blood in her hand. "That's what this means, doesn't it?" She phrased it as a question, but she already knew the answer.

"Indeed," Dr. Bey confirmed grimly. Ardeth took the glass from her hand and settled it on a nearby table. "The Creature is without a doubt in the city already."

Deirdre looked at them all. "As long as he's here the plagues will continue to bear down on Cairo, won't they?"

They confirmed.

Color drained from her face. "_All_ of them?"

Again confirmation.

Deirdre's now wide, fearful eyes turned to Ardeth. "We have to get Hadiyya out of the city."

Dr. Bey raised an eyebrow. "I do not see – "

"The death of the first borns," the red haired woman cut in impatiently.

Still the curator frowned and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hadiyya is a first born child," Ardeth pointed out; this reminder caused his uncle's mouth to automatically shut. Despite his personal feelings about Deirdre O'Connell and the situation his nephew had created for himself, he knew what the little girl meant to Ardeth and would not wish such pain as her death would cause on him.

Ehsan began to speak, but stopped when they heard distant crashing sounds; he moved to the window. His lips pressed into a line as he observed what was going on. He turned away from the window, casting an easy grin at Hadiyya, who had looked up curiously, but upon seeing the smile on the man's face seemed satisfied that all was well and went back to playing. He returned to the three other adults, his expression serious. "Rain of fire. It's not far from here but does not actually seem to be falling on the city itself."

Ardeth exchanged grim looks with his uncle. "His power is growing quickly."

Deirdre rubbed her hands over her face. "We have to get Hadiyya out of here, fast."

Ehsan spoke up. "I was going to say, we could send her to our home." He looked at his brother.

Deirdre looked up from her hands, her gaze going to Ardeth; he was still for a moment but nodded. "Yes. That would be best." He looked at his brother. "You will take her to our mother, to keep her safe."

Ehsan was about to protest but his elder brother continued. "You are my brother, I trust you above anyone else with her."

The younger man looked displeased but nodded.

Ardeth turned to Deirdre contemplating how to get her to go with Hadiyya and Ehsan, but the redhead had met his gaze and was already shaking her head, knowing exactly what he wanted and letting him know that she flat-out was not going. He pressed his lips together, his eyes narrowed; she met that with a raised eyebrow. He scowled but nodded; she smirked.

Ehsan's eyes had gone back and forth between them during the exchange; he had not seen a couple have an entirely wordless exchange like that since his father died – he still vividly remembered the sometimes silent discussions and arguments Faraj and Aqila Bey had had. It was in that moment that Ehsan knew that his brother was a lost man, and had been so for a long time.

"Mummy?"

They all turned at the little girl's call, she had stood up and walked to stand a few feet away from them and was biting her lip.

Deirdre moved to crouch at her daughter's side. "Yes, darling?"

The little girl looked at the men, still biting her lip; then leaned in to whisper in her mother's ear. Whatever the child said had the woman blinking rapidly and smiling at her daughter in a way when the child leaned back to look at her.

Deirdre took a deep, unsteady breath, rubbing her hands up and down her daughter's sides. "Why don't you ask him?" she smiled, the faintest hint of tears in her eyes.

Hadiyya shyly approached Ardeth biting her lip, unsurely.

"What is it, little one?" he asked after waiting a moment for her to speak.

"Can you swing me up in the air like you did before?" she quietly requested, raising her arms to him.

Surprise was stark on his face for a moment; he glanced at Deirdre who smiled tremulously and nodded.

"As you like, little one," he said, stooping down. The little girl's face lit up and she eagerly jumped into his arms. She shrieked with laughter and he swung her up above his head.

Ardeth looked over to see Deirdre still crouched, her elbow propped on her knee and her fist pressed to her lips, most likely in an effort to restrain the tears evident.

He was about to oblige Hadiyya's request to go again, when they heard voices coming toward them down the hall. He set her down instead and gently urged her back to her mother.

"He does seem to like Evy," they heard Jonathan comment.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Rick asked.

"What's this guy want, anyhow?" one of the Americans – Henderson Deirdre thought it was – demanded.

She held her breath, knowing that a confrontation was about to happen.

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"There's only one person I know that can probably give us any answers," Evy commented darkly just before they turned the corner into the room.

To the sight of the Med-jai leader and Dr. Bey are standing together.

"You!" Evy cried.

The Americans and Jonathan all pulled their guns on the pair.

"Miss Carnahan," the museum curator greeted her mildly before turning his attention to the men, "Gentlemen."

"_What_ is _he_ doing here?" Evy demanded, even after hearing Deirdre's story she still felt some anger at the Med-jai, though not as much as before.

Dr. Bey looked at the younger man next to him; then looked back at the interlopers. "Do you really want to know, or would you prefer to just – shoot us?"

"No! Unca Rick! Don't shoot them!" Hadiyya had slipped away from her mother and plowed into her uncle, wrapping her arms around his knees and looking up at him with wide eyes.

Rick's eyes went to Deirdre, whom they had not noticed at first since she was off to the side, Ehsan standing close by, his posture protective of the woman he knew meant the world to his brother.

Rick narrowed his eyes, but put away his gun; the others reluctantly followed suit. "After what I just saw," he commented, picking up his niece, "I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

Once it became obvious to Hadiyya that no one was going to shoot anyone she squirmed in her uncle's arms to be let down, which he obliged. Ehsan managed to lure her away from the "adult discussion" that was going to take place with the promise of more stories in Dr. Bey's office which was next to the chamber. Deirdre sent him a grateful glance which he answered with a "better you than me" look just before they turned the corner.

Once they were out of sight a few of the members of the group sat down in the replica chairs from Ancient Egyptian times while others remained standing; they formed almost two separate groups: Ardeth and Dr. Bey, and the Americans and Carnahans. Deirdre was almost an odd man out, not feeling able to fully go to one side or the other, engendering the feeling that, if needed, she might take on the roll of referee. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling distinctly alone due to the position she was in.

"We are part of an ancient, secret society," Dr. Bey explained, pacing the floor. "For over 3,000 years we have guarded the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn in this world." He took a seat in an ornate throne.

Ardeth picked up the narration, "And now, because of you, we have failed."

"And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evy demanded.

"To stop this creature?" Dr. Bey asked. "Let me think," he continued sarcastically.

"Yes!" both Med-jai said at the same time.

Evy scowled; she turned to Deirdre. "And you agree with this?"

The redhead cocked her eyebrow and raised her hands. "Oh no, I am _not_ going to get in the middle of _this_…"

The other woman scoffed but turned and commenced pacing.

Rick raised a finger from his lounging position in a gilded chair. "Question: Why doesn't he like cats?"

Dr. Bey explained about cats being the guardians of the underworld and that Imhotep would fear them until he was fully regenerated, at which point he would, as Ardeth put it, "fear _nothing_".

That set Daniels off in near hysterics over how the mummy got "hisself fully regenerated"; though Henderson seemed to be handling the subject remarkably calmly.

Jonathan was messing with a bow from an exhibit next to Deirdre; when Evy reprimanded him to "stop playing with that" he let it go to suddenly it swayed precariously, nearly falling over on Deirdre, who reached up a hand to still it and casting the man a dirty look.

Evy had turned back to the two Med-jai saying, "When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra, he called me…Anck-su-namun."

The pair started; then turned to each other.

Evy observed their reaction and continued, "And then, just now, in Mr. Burns' quarters, h-he tried to kiss me."

The two men hardly seemed to note her further words.

"It's because of his love for Anck-su-namun that he was cursed," Dr. Bey commented, with dawning realization. "Apparently, even after 3,000 years – "

"He is still in love with her," the younger Medjai finished for him.

"Yes, well, that's very romantic, but what has it got to do with me?" Evy demanded.

"Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead," Ardeth continued, to his uncle.

"Yes," the elder man agreed gravely. "And it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice."

Everyone's eyes went to Evy.

Jonathan leaned his elbows on the side of the chariot he was in. "Bad luck, old mum."

"On the contrary," Dr. Bey said, sounding almost hopeful, "it may just give us the time we need to kill the creature."

Ardeth's gaze had been drawn up to the skylight. "And we will need all the help we can get. His powers are growing."

Everyone looked up as well, to see an eclipse occurring over their heads.

"And He stretched forth His hand towards the heavens, and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt," Jonathan intoned.

Deirdre felt her stomach drop, they were running out of time. She turned to Ardeth. "I'm going to get Hadiyya and tell her what's happening." She moved to the corner to gather the toys into the bag.

Rick frowned. "What do you mean 'what's happening'?" he knew she would avoid telling her daughter about the whole situation with Imhotep as long as possible, so he wondered what on earth she was talking about.

Deirdre kept putting the toys away as she said, "She's going to Ardeth and Ehsan's home for safety."

"What!"

Deirdre rounded on him, her eyes flashing. "Do you not remember the last plague?" The blank looks on the three Americans and Jonathan's faces told her they did not. "The death of the first borns."

Rick looked sick.

She straightened up, slinging the bag on her shoulder. "Ehsan is going to take her there and keep her safe." She then turned and stalked out of the room.

There was an awkward silence for several moments before Jonathan muttered that he was going to get the car started; Daniels and Henderson were quick to follow. Evy lingered for several moments, looking back and forth between Rick and Ardeth, trying to decide if it was really wise to leave them alone; finally she turned and walked out of the room. Dr. Bey left moments later to try and find any research that could aid in killing "the Creature".

In the now empty room the two men sized each other up, all but circling each other. Rick scowling and Ardeth eyeing him disdainfully.

Rick was about to make some remark when Deirdre reentered, Hadiyya's hand in hers. The two men immediately attempted to cover up their animosity. Deirdre narrowed her eyes briefly, sensing that she had interrupted some kind of near-pissing match.

"Ready?" Ardeth asked, his face impassive once more.

Deirdre put aside her feelings on what they had nearly walked in on saying, "Nearly. There is one thing I want to do though." She led Hadiyya closer to Ardeth, bringing them to a stop a few feet from him. She then knelt down next to her daughter, still holding her hand. "Hadiyya, sweetheart, there is something very important I want to tell you."

Hadiyya tilted her head to the side innocently. "What is it, Mummy?"

"Ardeth," she nodded in the man's direction, the little girl nodded to let her mother know she was with her so far; Deirdre took a deep, unsteady breath, "he is your baba…your father."

Ardeth felt like the breath had been stolen from his lungs and his heart began to race.

The little girl looked back and forth between her parents before settling on him, looking at him curiously. She walked toward him, releasing her mother's hand as she moved out of reach and coming to stand right in front of him. She crooked her finger, beckoning him down to her level, which he obliged most willingly. She observed him with a serious expression, reaching out one tiny finger to trace the tattoo on one of his cheeks; then his nose. He remained perfectly still while his daughter investigated his features, holding his breath. Her hand returned to her side and she just stared at him again; he felt like he was being held in limbo, awaiting judgement on whether or not he was worthy, knowing in his heart he never would be but praying just the same that she would take pity on him and accept him anyway. Then her tiny arms were around his neck, hugging him tightly; his arms automatically wrapped around her; then he stood up holding her to him. She gave a happy, relieved sigh. "You were gone so long, Baba." His eyes squeezed shut at her calling him that. "I missed you."

He swallowed. "I missed you as well, habiibi. With all my heart."

His daughter – _his daughter!_ Joy roared through him with that thought – whispered to him low enough that the others would not hear, "Mummy missed you too, but she's afraid to say so."

He smiled, catching Deirdre's watery smile over Hadiyya's shoulder. "I missed her as well," he whispered back in the same low tone.

Hadiyya leaned back to look him in the eyes, a worried expression on her face again. "You're not going away for so long ever again." The adults laughed at her quiet order.

"Well, she is definitely your daughter, brother, bossing everyone around," Ehsan teased.

Ardeth shot his younger brother a half-hearted glare before turning back to his daughter. "No, I won't go away like that again."

She nodded her head. "Are you and Mummy coming with Ehsan and me?"

He shook his head. "No yet, habiibi," he said apologetically. "But as soon as we can, we will join you."

She made a face but nodded. She hugged him again. "Don't take too long."

"Not if I can help it, little one."

She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Baba."

He returned the kiss. "I love you too, Hadiyya."

He reluctantly let her down to give her mother a hug and kiss good bye and to go to Ehsan.

Ardeth moved to Deirdre's side while they watched their daughter take Ehsan's hand and head out of the room.

When they were out of sight Ardeth rested a hand on Deirdre's shoulder. "Thank you," he said, his voice rough.

She reached up a hand and gripped his, nodding silently, the tears flowing down her cheeks stilling her voice.

Neither of them noticed when Rick slipped out.

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And now it is out there! Hadiyya knows. I actually had them say the words and truly confirm that she is Ardeth's daughter. I know I still haven't given you the scene between Ardeth and Rick. Their…discussion, is coming, but they are really on a tight schedule at the moment so much like the talk that Deirdre and Ardeth need to have it is being put off until they are not trying to keep the world from ending…or at least until they can have more than a minute without Deirdre around to shut them down…should be fun… This chapter actually ended up being a lot longer than I expected; I am looking forward to the new chapter with more surprises to come! D I hope you enjoyed it!


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